What is AEST in CST?
Central Time is 15 hours behind
Australian Eastern Time is on UTC+10:00 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 Sydney
- 12:14 pm
- Time in Chicago
- 9:14 pm
- Difference
- −15 h
- Next clock change
- October 3, 2026
Convert a time
CDT — Central Time
9:00 pm
Tue, the previous day
When the difference changes
Australian Eastern 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 15 hours behind
- October 3, 2026 – November 1, 2026Central Time is 16 hours behind
- November 1, 2026 – March 14, 2027Central Time is 17 hours behind
- March 14, 2027 – April 3, 2027Central Time is 16 hours behind
- April 3, 2027 – October 2, 2027Central Time is 15 hours behind
- October 2, 2027 – onwardsCentral Time is 16 hours 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 Eastern Time
Clocks go forward one hour at 2am local time, becoming AEDT.
Central Time
Clocks go back one hour at 2am local time, becoming CST.
AEST to CST conversion table
Every hour of Wednesday, September 23, 2026, converted from Australian Eastern Time to Central Time. 15 of the 24 hours fall on a different calendar day in Chicago, which is marked.
- 12:00 am AEST
- 9:00 am CDT−1 day
- 1:00 am AEST
- 10:00 am CDT−1 day
- 2:00 am AEST
- 11:00 am CDT−1 day
- 3:00 am AEST
- 12:00 pm CDT−1 day
- 4:00 am AEST
- 1:00 pm CDT−1 day
- 5:00 am AEST
- 2:00 pm CDT−1 day
- 6:00 am AEST
- 3:00 pm CDT−1 day
- 7:00 am AEST
- 4:00 pm CDT−1 day
- 8:00 am AEST
- 5:00 pm CDT−1 day
- 9:00 am AEST
- 6:00 pm CDT−1 day
- 10:00 am AEST
- 7:00 pm CDT−1 day
- 11:00 am AEST
- 8:00 pm CDT−1 day
- 12:00 pm AEST
- 9:00 pm CDT−1 day
- 1:00 pm AEST
- 10:00 pm CDT−1 day
- 2:00 pm AEST
- 11:00 pm CDT−1 day
- 3:00 pm AEST
- 12:00 am CDT
- 4:00 pm AEST
- 1:00 am CDT
- 5:00 pm AEST
- 2:00 am CDT
- 6:00 pm AEST
- 3:00 am CDT
- 7:00 pm AEST
- 4:00 am CDT
- 8:00 pm AEST
- 5:00 am CDT
- 9:00 pm AEST
- 6:00 am CDT
- 10:00 pm AEST
- 7:00 am CDT
- 11:00 pm AEST
- 8:00 am CDT
Scheduling between the two
There is no overlap between a nine-to-six working day in Sydney and one in Chicago — the gap is too wide. A call has to sit early or late for one side. Early morning in Sydney 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 Eastern Time (AEST) is used in Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane. Queensland stays on AEST all year while the southern states move to AEDT.
Central Time (CDT) is used in Dallas, Houston, Mexico City and Winnipeg