What is ACST in CST?
Central Time is 14 hours 30 minutes behind
Australian Central Time is on UTC+9:30 and Central Time is on UTC−5:00 right now. Central Time is on daylight saving, so its clocks read CDT. The gap changes during the year — see below.
- Time in Adelaide
- 11:43 am
- Time in Chicago
- 9:13 pm
- Difference
- −14:30 h
- Next clock change
- October 3, 2026
Convert a time
CDT — Central Time
8:30 pm
Tue, the previous day
When the difference changes
Australian Central Time and Central Time do not change their clocks on the same dates, so the gap between them is not the same all year. Most converters show only today’s figure. These are the periods ahead:
- Now – October 3, 2026Central Time is 14 hours 30 minutes behind
- October 3, 2026 – November 1, 2026Central Time is 15 hours 30 minutes behind
- November 1, 2026 – March 14, 2027Central Time is 16 hours 30 minutes behind
- March 14, 2027 – April 3, 2027Central Time is 15 hours 30 minutes behind
- April 3, 2027 – October 2, 2027Central Time is 14 hours 30 minutes behind
- October 2, 2027 – onwardsCentral Time is 15 hours 30 minutes behind
Periods shorter than a day are not listed: both zones change at 2am in their own local time, so there are a few hours on each transition date when the gap is briefly something else.
Daylight saving
Australian Central Time
Clocks go forward one hour at 2am local time, becoming ACDT.
Central Time
Clocks go back one hour at 2am local time, becoming CST.
ACST to CST conversion table
Every hour of Wednesday, September 23, 2026, converted from Australian Central Time to Central Time. 15 of the 24 hours fall on a different calendar day in Chicago, which is marked.
- 12:00 am ACST
- 9:30 am CDT−1 day
- 1:00 am ACST
- 10:30 am CDT−1 day
- 2:00 am ACST
- 11:30 am CDT−1 day
- 3:00 am ACST
- 12:30 pm CDT−1 day
- 4:00 am ACST
- 1:30 pm CDT−1 day
- 5:00 am ACST
- 2:30 pm CDT−1 day
- 6:00 am ACST
- 3:30 pm CDT−1 day
- 7:00 am ACST
- 4:30 pm CDT−1 day
- 8:00 am ACST
- 5:30 pm CDT−1 day
- 9:00 am ACST
- 6:30 pm CDT−1 day
- 10:00 am ACST
- 7:30 pm CDT−1 day
- 11:00 am ACST
- 8:30 pm CDT−1 day
- 12:00 pm ACST
- 9:30 pm CDT−1 day
- 1:00 pm ACST
- 10:30 pm CDT−1 day
- 2:00 pm ACST
- 11:30 pm CDT−1 day
- 3:00 pm ACST
- 12:30 am CDT
- 4:00 pm ACST
- 1:30 am CDT
- 5:00 pm ACST
- 2:30 am CDT
- 6:00 pm ACST
- 3:30 am CDT
- 7:00 pm ACST
- 4:30 am CDT
- 8:00 pm ACST
- 5:30 am CDT
- 9:00 pm ACST
- 6:30 am CDT
- 10:00 pm ACST
- 7:30 am CDT
- 11:00 pm ACST
- 8:30 am CDT
Scheduling between the two
There is no overlap between a nine-to-six working day in Adelaide and one in Chicago — the gap is too wide. A call has to sit early or late for one side. Early morning in Adelaide is the usual compromise, since that is late afternoon or evening in Chicago.
A note on CST: it can also mean China Standard Time (UTC+8) and Cuba Standard Time (UTC−5). This page means US Central Time.
Australian Central Time (ACST) is used in South Australia and the Northern Territory, on a half-hour offset from the east coast
Central Time (CDT) is used in Dallas, Houston, Mexico City and Winnipeg