What is CST in ACST?
Australian Central Time is 14 hours 30 minutes ahead
Central Time is on UTC−5:00 and Australian Central Time is on UTC+9:30 right now. Central Time is on daylight saving, so its clocks read CDT. The gap changes during the year — see below.
- Time in Chicago
- 9:56 pm
- Time in Adelaide
- 12:26 pm
- Difference
- +14:30 h
- Next clock change
- October 3, 2026
Convert a time
ACST — Australian Central Time
11:30 am
Wed, the next day
When the difference changes
Central Time and Australian 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, 2026Australian Central Time is 14 hours 30 minutes ahead
- October 3, 2026 – November 1, 2026Australian Central Time is 15 hours 30 minutes ahead
- November 1, 2026 – March 14, 2027Australian Central Time is 16 hours 30 minutes ahead
- March 14, 2027 – April 3, 2027Australian Central Time is 15 hours 30 minutes ahead
- April 3, 2027 – October 2, 2027Australian Central Time is 14 hours 30 minutes ahead
- October 2, 2027 – onwardsAustralian Central Time is 15 hours 30 minutes ahead
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
Central Time
Clocks go back one hour at 2am local time, becoming CST.
Australian Central Time
Clocks go forward one hour at 2am local time, becoming ACDT.
CST to ACST conversion table
Every hour of Tuesday, September 22, 2026, converted from Central Time to Australian Central Time. 14 of the 24 hours fall on a different calendar day in Adelaide, which is marked.
- 12:00 am CDT
- 2:30 pm ACST
- 1:00 am CDT
- 3:30 pm ACST
- 2:00 am CDT
- 4:30 pm ACST
- 3:00 am CDT
- 5:30 pm ACST
- 4:00 am CDT
- 6:30 pm ACST
- 5:00 am CDT
- 7:30 pm ACST
- 6:00 am CDT
- 8:30 pm ACST
- 7:00 am CDT
- 9:30 pm ACST
- 8:00 am CDT
- 10:30 pm ACST
- 9:00 am CDT
- 11:30 pm ACST
- 10:00 am CDT
- 12:30 am ACST+1 day
- 11:00 am CDT
- 1:30 am ACST+1 day
- 12:00 pm CDT
- 2:30 am ACST+1 day
- 1:00 pm CDT
- 3:30 am ACST+1 day
- 2:00 pm CDT
- 4:30 am ACST+1 day
- 3:00 pm CDT
- 5:30 am ACST+1 day
- 4:00 pm CDT
- 6:30 am ACST+1 day
- 5:00 pm CDT
- 7:30 am ACST+1 day
- 6:00 pm CDT
- 8:30 am ACST+1 day
- 7:00 pm CDT
- 9:30 am ACST+1 day
- 8:00 pm CDT
- 10:30 am ACST+1 day
- 9:00 pm CDT
- 11:30 am ACST+1 day
- 10:00 pm CDT
- 12:30 pm ACST+1 day
- 11:00 pm CDT
- 1:30 pm ACST+1 day
Scheduling between the two
There is no overlap between a nine-to-six working day in Chicago and one in Adelaide — the gap is too wide. A call has to sit early or late for one side. Early morning in Chicago is the usual compromise, since that is late afternoon or evening in Adelaide.
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.
Central Time (CDT) is used in Dallas, Houston, Mexico City and Winnipeg
Australian Central Time (ACST) is used in South Australia and the Northern Territory, on a half-hour offset from the east coast