GMT to CST
Chicago, Dallas and Houston are six hours behind London for most of the year: 2:00 PM in London is 8:00 AM in Chicago. For about three weeks in March and one week in late October the gap is five hours, because the US changes clocks earlier in spring and later in autumn.
Convert the other way: CST → GMT
- Difference right now
- CST 6 hours behind GMT
- Shared office hours
- 12 AM–2 AM GMT
- Daylight saving
- Both zones shift their clocks
GMT to CST, hour by hour
Every hour of the day, using today's offsets (daylight saving is applied automatically).
- 12:00 AM6:00 PM−1
- 1:00 AM7:00 PM−1
- 2:00 AM8:00 PM−1
- 3:00 AM9:00 PM−1
- 4:00 AM10:00 PM−1
- 5:00 AM11:00 PM−1
- 6:00 AM12:00 AM
- 7:00 AM1:00 AM
- 8:00 AM2:00 AM
- 9:00 AM3:00 AM
- 10:00 AM4:00 AM
- 11:00 AM5:00 AM
- 12:00 PM6:00 AM
- 1:00 PM7:00 AM
- 2:00 PM8:00 AM
- 3:00 PM9:00 AM
- 4:00 PM10:00 AM
- 5:00 PM11:00 AM
- 6:00 PM12:00 PM
- 7:00 PM1:00 PM
- 8:00 PM2:00 PM
- 9:00 PM3:00 PM
- 10:00 PM4:00 PM
- 11:00 PM5:00 PM
Oil, futures and the London–Central link
Two of the world's main commodity hubs sit in these zones. Brent crude futures trade on ICE Futures Europe in London, while Houston is the headquarters city of the US oil industry and Chicago is home to the CME Group's agricultural and interest-rate futures. Energy traders in Houston start early to catch the London afternoon, and London desks stay late to see the US open: 8:30 AM Central, the moment the US stock market opens, is 2:30 PM in London.
The practical working overlap is 8:00–11:00 AM Central, or 2:00–5:00 PM London time. A London team that wants a decision from Dallas the same day needs to send the question before lunch UK time.
Which CST? Central, not China
Outside North America, "CST" can be read as China Standard Time, UTC+8, fourteen hours ahead of Chicago's winter clock. When writing from London to a global audience, "US Central" or "Chicago time" is safer. UltKit uses CST only for the American zone and lists China separately.
A nonstop from Heathrow to Chicago O'Hare takes about nine hours, so a 10:00 AM departure lands around 1:00 PM local time; Heathrow to Dallas–Fort Worth or Houston is closer to ten hours. For the view from Texas or Illinois, see CST to GMT.
Clock changes this year
- Mar 29, 2026GMT: clocks go forward, UTC+0 → UTC+1
- Oct 25, 2026GMT: clocks go back, UTC+1 → UTC+0
- Mar 8, 2026CST: clocks go forward, UTC−6 → UTC−5
- Nov 1, 2026CST: clocks go back, UTC−5 → UTC−6
Other conversions with these zones
Frequently asked questions
- What time is 2 PM London time in Chicago?
- 8:00 AM in Chicago for most of the year, or 9:00 AM during the weeks when the US has changed clocks and the UK has not.
- How many hours behind London is Houston?
- Six hours in a normal week. Houston uses US Central Time, like Chicago and Dallas.
- When does the five-hour London–Chicago gap happen?
- From the second Sunday of March to the last Sunday of March, and from the last Sunday of October to the first Sunday of November.
- Is CST the same as China Standard Time?
- No. US Central Standard Time is UTC−6 and China Standard Time is UTC+8. The abbreviation is shared, which is why it pays to name the city.
- What is the best time for a London–Dallas call?
- Between 2:00 and 4:00 PM London time, which is 8:00–10:00 AM in Dallas in a normal week.