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Time-zone abbreviation

CST — Central Standard Time & China Standard Time

CST is most commonly Central Standard Time in North America (UTC−6), but the same letters also mean China Standard Time (UTC+8). The two zones are fourteen hours apart and have nothing to do with each other.

Last updated · Maintained by Clockjumper

CST refers to more than one time zone

Central Standard Time (UTC−6)

Current time in Central Standard Time

10:32 PM
Thursday, Jul 2

America/Chicago

Quick facts

Standard offset
UTC−6 (CST)
Daylight saving
Yes — shifts to CDT (UTC−5)
Next clock change
Where it's used
Used across the central United States, Manitoba, most of Mexico, Central America, and Cuba. The U.S./Canadian portion shifts to Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC−5) in summer; most of Mexico dropped DST in 2022 and stays on CST year-round.

Cities in Central Standard Time

China Standard Time (UTC+8)

Current time in China Standard Time

11:32 AM
Friday, Jul 3

Asia/Shanghai

Quick facts

Standard offset
UTC+8 (CST)
Daylight saving
Not observed — offset stays the same year-round
Next clock change
None scheduled in the next 12 months for China Standard Time
Where it's used
The single official time zone for all of mainland China and Taiwan. Eight hours ahead of UTC, with no daylight saving.

Cities in China Standard Time

Convert CST to your time zone

Need to convert a specific time? Use the Clockjumper converter, or jump to one of these popular CST conversions:

Frequently asked questions

What does CST stand for?
CST is used for more than one time zone: Central Standard Time (UTC−6), China Standard Time (UTC+8).
What is the UTC offset of CST?
Central Standard Time is UTC−6, shifting to UTC−5 in summer; China Standard Time is UTC+8.
Does CST observe daylight saving time?
Central Standard Time observes DST and switches to CDT; China Standard Time does not observe DST.
Is CST the same as China Standard Time?
Not exactly. The letters CST are reused. Central Standard Time is UTC−6 and China Standard Time is UTC+8 — the two zones are 14 hours apart.

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