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Central Time

Stands forCT (Central Time), CST (standard), CDT (daylight)

abbreviationC T, C S T or C D T

Central Time Abbreviation: CT, CST or CDT

WordsTime zonesSchedulingUpdated Oct 30

The general central time abbreviation is CT, short for Central Time. When you need to be exact about the season, use CST for Central Standard Time, which runs from early November to mid March, and CDT for Central Daylight Time, which covers the rest of the year.

Many people write CST all year, but in summer that is technically off by one hour. When in doubt about the season, CT is always safe, because it simply means "whatever time it is right now in the Central zone." That is why TV schedules and event invitations so often use it.

Quick facts

  • General form

    CT, Central Time

  • Winter

    CST, Central Standard Time, UTC-6

  • Summer

    CDT, Central Daylight Time, UTC-5

  • Switch dates

    Second Sunday in March, first Sunday in November

  • Period or no period

    No periods, all capitals

  • Big cities

    Chicago, Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, Minneapolis

  • Not to be confused with

    CT for Connecticut, CET for Central European Time

Central time abbreviation by season

Which letters match which part of the year
Short formFull formWhen it appliesOffset from UTC
CTCentral TimeAny time of yearChanges with the season
CSTCentral Standard TimeEarly November to mid March6 hours behind
CDTCentral Daylight TimeMid March to early November5 hours behind

UTC is the world reference time that replaced GMT for most technical uses. Clocks move ahead an hour in March, on its second Sunday, and move back an hour in November, on its first Sunday.

Where Central Time is used

The central time zone abbreviation shows up most in the middle of the country, because the zone covers much of it. Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Wisconsin and Oklahoma are on it, along with most of Texas. Several other states are split between two zones, among them Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana. The western Florida Panhandle and a few counties in Michigan's Upper Peninsula also use it.

Outside the United States, parts of Canada such as Manitoba use Central Time. Saskatchewan stays on standard time all year, so its clocks match CST in winter and Mountain Daylight Time in summer.

Writing the central time acronym the right way

  • Use capital letters and no periods: CT, CST, CDT.
  • Put the zone after the clock time: "3:00 p.m. CT." See a.m. and p.m. for how to write the time itself.
  • When two zones matter, list both: "8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT."
  • In formal running text, writing it out works well: "7 p.m. Central Time."

A work meeting invite: "Team call Thursday at 10:00 a.m. CT." A coworker in New York joins at 11:00 a.m., one in Denver at 9:00 a.m. and one in Seattle at 8:00 a.m.

CST or CT: which should you pick?

Pick CT for anything that repeats through the year, like a store sign, a weekly webinar or a broadcast schedule. Nobody has to update it when the clocks change. Pick CST or CDT when the exact offset matters, such as flight times, legal deadlines, or logs where a computer reads the time.

Writing CST in July is a very common slip. Most readers will still understand you, but someone converting the time by its strict offset could end up an hour off. Writing CT avoids the problem.

How Central Time compares with other zones

The same moment across the main U.S. zones
ZoneShort formWhen it is noon in Chicago
EasternET1:00 p.m.
CentralCT12:00 noon
MountainMT11:00 a.m.
PacificPT10:00 a.m.

Each zone has its own page: Eastern Time, Mountain Time and Pacific Time. Arizona, which mostly skips daylight saving time, is the usual exception that throws off quick math.

Look alikes to keep straight

  • CT the state: CT is also the postal code for Connecticut, which is on Eastern Time. A city and ZIP code next to it means the state.
  • CET: Central European Time, used in much of Europe, is many hours ahead of American Central Time.
  • China Standard Time: also written CST in some places. Context, such as a city name, tells you which one is meant.

More everyday short forms like these are gathered in the common abbreviations guide, from street words to units of measure.

Questions people ask

What is the abbreviation for central time zone?

The general abbreviation is CT. Use CST for Central Standard Time in winter and CDT for Central Daylight Time in summer.

Is it CST or CDT right now?

Daylight time runs from March's second Sunday until November's first Sunday, so the zone is on CDT then. The rest of the year it is on CST.

Is Central Time one hour behind Eastern?

Yes. When it is 9:00 a.m. in the Eastern zone, it is 8:00 a.m. in the Central zone, all year round.

Does Texas use Central Time?

Most of Texas does. A small area in the far west, including El Paso, uses Mountain Time.

Should I put periods in CST?

No. Time zone abbreviations are written in capitals with no periods, such as CST, CDT and CT.