What is CST in IST?
India Standard Time is 10 hours 30 minutes ahead
Central Time is on UTC−5:00 and India Standard Time is on UTC+5:30 right now. Central Time is on daylight saving, so its clocks read CDT. The gap changes during the year — see below.
- Time in Chicago
- 9:14 pm
- Time in New Delhi
- 7:44 am
- Difference
- +10:30 h
- Next clock change
- November 1, 2026
Convert a time
IST — India Standard Time
7:30 am
Wed, the next day
When the difference changes
Central Time and India Standard 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 – November 1, 2026India Standard Time is 10 hours 30 minutes ahead
- November 1, 2026 – March 14, 2027India Standard Time is 11 hours 30 minutes ahead
- March 14, 2027 – onwardsIndia Standard Time is 10 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.
India Standard Time
India Standard Time stays on IST all year, so its offset from UTC never moves.
CST to IST conversion table
Every hour of Tuesday, September 22, 2026, converted from Central Time to India Standard Time. 10 of the 24 hours fall on a different calendar day in New Delhi, which is marked.
- 12:00 am CDT
- 10:30 am IST
- 1:00 am CDT
- 11:30 am IST
- 2:00 am CDT
- 12:30 pm IST
- 3:00 am CDT
- 1:30 pm IST
- 4:00 am CDT
- 2:30 pm IST
- 5:00 am CDT
- 3:30 pm IST
- 6:00 am CDT
- 4:30 pm IST
- 7:00 am CDT
- 5:30 pm IST
- 8:00 am CDT
- 6:30 pm IST
- 9:00 am CDT
- 7:30 pm IST
- 10:00 am CDT
- 8:30 pm IST
- 11:00 am CDT
- 9:30 pm IST
- 12:00 pm CDT
- 10:30 pm IST
- 1:00 pm CDT
- 11:30 pm IST
- 2:00 pm CDT
- 12:30 am IST+1 day
- 3:00 pm CDT
- 1:30 am IST+1 day
- 4:00 pm CDT
- 2:30 am IST+1 day
- 5:00 pm CDT
- 3:30 am IST+1 day
- 6:00 pm CDT
- 4:30 am IST+1 day
- 7:00 pm CDT
- 5:30 am IST+1 day
- 8:00 pm CDT
- 6:30 am IST+1 day
- 9:00 pm CDT
- 7:30 am IST+1 day
- 10:00 pm CDT
- 8:30 am IST+1 day
- 11:00 pm CDT
- 9:30 am IST+1 day
Scheduling between the two
There is no overlap between a nine-to-six working day in Chicago and one in New Delhi — 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 New Delhi.
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.
A note on IST: it can also mean Israel Standard Time (UTC+2) and Irish Standard Time (UTC+1). This page means India Standard Time, which is what almost all searches for IST want.
Central Time (CDT) is used in Dallas, Houston, Mexico City and Winnipeg
India Standard Time (IST) is used in all of India and Sri Lanka, on a single UTC+5:30 offset with no daylight saving