timeinusa.net

PST to CST — Pacific to Central Time

Central Time is 2 hours ahead of Pacific Time, all year round.

The conversion rule

Add 2 hours to Pacific Time to get Central Time. 12:00 PM PST is 2:00 PM CST. Seattle and Chicago share the same daylight saving dates, so the 2-hour offset does not drift.

Usable joint hours: 9:00 AM–3:00 PM PT / 11:00 AM–5:00 PM CT. Late Pacific afternoons overrun the Central close of business.

PST to CST conversion chart

Pacific (PST/PDT)Central (CST/CDT)
12:00 AM (midnight)2:00 AM
1:00 AM3:00 AM
2:00 AM4:00 AM
3:00 AM5:00 AM
4:00 AM6:00 AM
5:00 AM7:00 AM
6:00 AM8:00 AM
7:00 AM9:00 AM
8:00 AM10:00 AM
9:00 AM11:00 AM
10:00 AM12:00 PM (noon)
11:00 AM1:00 PM
12:00 PM (noon)2:00 PM
1:00 PM3:00 PM
2:00 PM4:00 PM
3:00 PM5:00 PM
4:00 PM6:00 PM
5:00 PM7:00 PM
6:00 PM8:00 PM
7:00 PM9:00 PM
8:00 PM10:00 PM
9:00 PM11:00 PM
10:00 PM12:00 AM (midnight, next day)
11:00 PM1:00 AM (next day)

Reverse direction: CST to PST (subtract 2 hours). Related: PST to EST, PST to MST, PST to AKST.

Frequently asked questions

Is Central always 2 hours ahead of Pacific?

Yes — the two zones adopt and drop daylight saving on identical dates, so Chicago runs 2 hours ahead of Los Angeles in every month.

What is 7:00 AM PST in CST?

9:00 AM CST — Los Angeles early birds catch Chicago right at opening time.

What time is an 8:00 PM CT event on the West Coast?

6:00 PM PT. A Dallas or Chicago evening broadcast starts during the Pacific commute.