World Timezones

AST to CST Converter

Compare CST to AST instead
Arabia Standard Time7:36 amFri, Jun 5
Arabia Standard TimeAST
Middle East · UTC+3
7:36 amFri, Jun 5
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
5a
6a
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
11p
Central TimeCDT
North America · UTC-5
11:36 pmThu, Jun 4
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
5a
6a
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
2p
3p

Offset

The time difference between Arabia Standard Time and Central Time is 8 hours.

8 hours

Arabia Standard Time (AST) is ahead of Central Time (CDT).

AST: UTC+3

CDT: UTC-5

Central Time is currently observing daylight saving time; Arabia Standard Time is not.

When to schedule

Standard business hours (9 AM–5 PM, Mon–Fri) in Arabia Standard Time and Central Time don't overlap on the same weekday. Central Time is 8 hours behind Arabia Standard Time.

With some flexibility, there’s a workable window outside standard hours:

  • 3 PM–8 PM in Arabia Standard Time (7 AM–12 PM in Central Time) — suggest 5:00 PM Arabia Standard Time (9:00 AM Central Time).

This means an early start or late finish for one side, but it’s a reasonable slot for a one-off meeting.

This window may shift by an hour during daylight saving time.

Note: the working week in Saudi Arabia runs Sunday–Thursday; Friday–Saturday is the weekend, so overlap on those days is limited.

Public holidays in 2026

National public holidays can affect availability — a counterpart is likely off work on their own holidays, so it's worth planning meetings and deadlines around them.

United States

  • New Year's DayThu, Jan 1
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. DayMon, Jan 19
  • Presidents DayMon, Feb 16
  • Memorial DayMon, May 25
  • Juneteenth National Independence DayFri, Jun 19
  • Independence DayFri, Jul 3
  • Labour DayMon, Sep 7
  • Columbus DayMon, Oct 12
  • Veterans DayWed, Nov 11
  • Thanksgiving DayThu, Nov 26
  • Christmas DayFri, Dec 25

About these zones

Arabia Standard Time is also known as AST. To call Saudi Arabia, dial +966.

Central Time is also known as CST, or CDT. To call United States, dial +1.

Central Time is approximately 7,000 miles northwest of Arabia Standard Time.

Quick reference

Full 24-hour conversion table — tap any time to open it in the converter.

ASTCSTDay
12:00 am4:00 pm-1 day
1:00 am5:00 pm-1 day
2:00 am6:00 pm-1 day
3:00 am7:00 pm-1 day
4:00 am8:00 pm-1 day
5:00 am9:00 pm-1 day
6:00 am10:00 pm-1 day
7:00 am11:00 pm-1 day
8:00 am12:00 amSame day
9:00 am1:00 amSame day
10:00 am2:00 amSame day
11:00 am3:00 amSame day
12:00 pm4:00 amSame day
1:00 pm5:00 amSame day
2:00 pm6:00 amSame day
3:00 pm7:00 amSame day
4:00 pm8:00 amSame day
5:00 pm9:00 amSame day
6:00 pm10:00 amSame day
7:00 pm11:00 amSame day
8:00 pm12:00 pmSame day
9:00 pm1:00 pmSame day
10:00 pm2:00 pmSame day
11:00 pm3:00 pmSame day

Daylight saving time

Central Time observes daylight saving time; Arabia Standard Time does not. The offset between the two zones changes when Central Time transitions: on Sunday, November 1, 2026, clocks fall back from CDT to CST.

See the daylight saving time page for transition dates across every time zone.

Daylight today

Arabia Standard Time
Sunrise
5:05 AM
Sunset
6:41 PM
Day length
13h 36m
Central Time
Sunrise
5:18 AM
Sunset
8:22 PM
Day length
15h 4m

Cities in these zones

Cities in Arabia Standard Time

Browse all cities to see the current local time anywhere.

Airports in these zones

Airports in Arabia Standard Time

  • JED
  • RUH
  • MED
  • DMM

Airports in Central Time

  • GYY
  • MDW
  • ORD
  • HOU
  • IAH
  • SAT
  • DAL
  • DFW
  • AUS
  • BNA

Related conversions

Common conversions

What is 9:00 am AST in CST?
9:00 am AST is 1:00 am CST.
What is 12:00 pm AST in CST?
12:00 pm AST is 4:00 am CST.
What is 12:30 pm AST in CST?
12:30 pm AST is 4:30 am CST.
What is 2:00 pm AST in CST?
2:00 pm AST is 6:00 am CST.
What is 5:00 pm AST in CST?
5:00 pm AST is 9:00 am CST.
What is 11:30 pm AST in CST?
11:30 pm AST is 3:30 pm CST.