Zone & HourCST to IST Time Converter
IST is 11 hours and 30 minutes ahead of CST.
CST: Central Standard Time (North America), UTC−06:00.
IST: India Standard Time, UTC+05:30.
For a city that changes clocks, use the date-aware city converter.
Check the abbreviation before converting
CST is ambiguous: China Standard Time is UTC+08:00; Cuba Standard Time is UTC−05:00. Choose a city if you mean either of these.
IST can also mean Irish Standard Time (UTC+01:00) or Israel Standard Time (UTC+02:00). This page always uses India.
Convert a time
9:00 AM CST = 8:30 PM IST (same day)
24-hour CST to IST conversion table
These are fixed-offset examples. They apply whenever the two abbreviations have the exact meanings stated above.
| CST · UTC−06:00 | IST · UTC+05:30 | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 11:30 AM | Same day |
| 1:00 AM | 12:30 PM | Same day |
| 2:00 AM | 1:30 PM | Same day |
| 3:00 AM | 2:30 PM | Same day |
| 4:00 AM | 3:30 PM | Same day |
| 5:00 AM | 4:30 PM | Same day |
| 6:00 AM | 5:30 PM | Same day |
| 7:00 AM | 6:30 PM | Same day |
| 8:00 AM | 7:30 PM | Same day |
| 9:00 AM | 8:30 PM | Same day |
| 10:00 AM | 9:30 PM | Same day |
| 11:00 AM | 10:30 PM | Same day |
| 12:00 PM | 11:30 PM | Same day |
| 1:00 PM | 12:30 AM | Next day |
| 2:00 PM | 1:30 AM | Next day |
| 3:00 PM | 2:30 AM | Next day |
| 4:00 PM | 3:30 AM | Next day |
| 5:00 PM | 4:30 AM | Next day |
| 6:00 PM | 5:30 AM | Next day |
| 7:00 PM | 6:30 AM | Next day |
| 8:00 PM | 7:30 AM | Next day |
| 9:00 PM | 8:30 AM | Next day |
| 10:00 PM | 9:30 AM | Next day |
| 11:00 PM | 10:30 AM | Next day |
What CST and IST mean
CST: Central Standard Time (North America)
This converter interprets CST as UTC−06:00. Chicago changes to CDT (UTC−05:00) during daylight saving. A representative location is Chicago in winter, whose IANA identifier is America/Chicago.
IST: India Standard Time
IST here means India Standard Time, UTC+05:30. India does not currently change clocks seasonally. A representative location is Kolkata / Mumbai, whose IANA identifier is Asia/Kolkata.
Common conversion examples
- 6:00 AM CST becomes 5:30 PM IST.
- 9:00 AM CST becomes 8:30 PM IST.
- 12:00 PM CST becomes 11:30 PM IST.
- 6:00 PM CST becomes 5:30 AM IST on the next day.
- 9:00 PM CST becomes 8:30 AM IST on the next day.
Frequently asked questions
Does this table change for daylight saving?
No. The offsets attached to these abbreviations stay fixed. A city may switch to a differently named abbreviation. CST is not a daylight-saving designation in the interpretation used here.
Should I put an abbreviation in a meeting invitation?
Use an IANA city time zone and a full date. Abbreviations are useful shorthand when everyone agrees on the meaning, but they do not carry the complete rules that a calendar needs for recurring events.
Why can the day change?
The difference is 690 minutes. Adding or subtracting that amount can move the destination time before midnight or beyond the end of the source day. The last column makes that change explicit.