PST to CST Time Zone Converter
PST to CST converts US Pacific Time to US Central Time — the zone that covers Chicago, Dallas, and most of the middle of the country. Central is 2 hours ahead of Pacific, and since both zones change their clocks on the same dates, that 2-hour gap holds all year. The converter takes care of the daylight saving switch automatically.
Enter a date and time to convert.
Daylight saving is applied automatically for the date you pick. Labels like PST/EST name the zone (Pacific/Eastern); the real abbreviation shifts to PDT/EDT during daylight saving, and gmt here means London (GMT in winter, BST in summer) while utc stays fixed.
The time difference
US Central Time is 2 hours ahead of US Pacific Time, all year round. Add 2 hours to a Pacific clock to get the Central one: 7 AM in Seattle is 9 AM in Dallas, and 4 PM in San Francisco is 6 PM in Chicago.
A worked example
Start with 9:00 AM Pacific. On January 15, 2026 that lands at 11:00 AM Central, and on July 15, 2026 it's again 11:00 AM Central. Winter and summer give the same clock result, so 11 AM Central holds all year for a 9 AM Pacific start.
Daylight saving & the abbreviation caveat
The slugs say PST and CST — the standard-time (winter) names. From spring to fall both zones move to daylight time, becoming PDT and CDT, which is why locals just say "PT" and "CT." Both switch on the same dates (spring forward March 8, fall back November 1 in 2026), so the 2-hour gap stays put through the whole year. The converter chooses the right names for the date you pick, so the answer is never wrong.
When you'll use it
Handy for setting up a call between a West Coast team and a Chicago or Texas office, catching a flight time into a Central-zone airport, or timing a live broadcast — plenty of national events are announced in Central time, and knowing it's 2 hours later than your Pacific clock keeps you from missing the start.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours ahead is CST from PST?
Central Time is 2 hours ahead of Pacific Time. When it's 9:00 AM in Los Angeles, it's 11:00 AM in Chicago. The gap is the same every day of the year.
Does the PST to CST gap change in summer?
No. Pacific and Central switch to daylight saving on the same dates, so the 2-hour difference never moves. Only the abbreviations change — PST/CST in winter, PDT/CDT in summer.
What is 9 AM Pacific in Central Time?
11:00 AM Central. Add 2 hours to any Pacific time to get the Central time, on the same day.