CST to IST Converter
Convert US Central Time (CST/CDT) to India Standard Time (IST). Pick any date — daylight saving is applied from the IANA time zone database, so the answer is right in March and in November.
CST to IST
CST is 10 hours and 30 minutes behind IST.
Quick answer. IST is 11 hours and 30 minutes ahead of CST for part of the year and 10 hours and 30 minutes ahead for the rest, because CST observes daylight saving time and the other side does not. The gap is 11 hours and 30 minutes during CST's standard-time months and 10 hours and 30 minutes during daylight time, so always convert against a specific date.
Time difference
US Central Time (CST/CDT)
CST UTC-6:00 CDT UTC-5:00 Observes DST
Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Minneapolis, Winnipeg.
- ↑ March 8, 2026 clocks forward at 3:00 AM · UTC-6:00 → UTC-5:00
- ↓ November 1, 2026 clocks back at 1:00 AM · UTC-5:00 → UTC-6:00
CST is also the abbreviation for China Standard Time, which is UTC+8:00 — the opposite side of the world. This page means US Central Time.
India Standard Time (IST)
IST UTC+5:30 No DST
Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad.
India runs on a single time zone, UTC+5:30, and has not observed daylight saving time since 1945. The half-hour offset is why IST conversions rarely land on a round hour.
CST to IST conversion table
Every hour of the day for 2026. Because CST changes clocks twice a year, these values shift by an hour across the daylight saving boundary — use the date picker above for a specific day.
| CST | IST | 24-hour |
|---|---|---|
| 12 AM | 10:30 AM | 10:30 |
| 1 AM | 11:30 AM | 11:30 |
| 2 AM | 12:30 PM | 12:30 |
| 3 AM | 1:30 PM | 13:30 |
| 4 AM | 2:30 PM | 14:30 |
| 5 AM | 3:30 PM | 15:30 |
| 6 AM | 4:30 PM | 16:30 |
| 7 AM | 5:30 PM | 17:30 |
| 8 AM | 6:30 PM | 18:30 |
| 9 AM | 7:30 PM | 19:30 |
| 10 AM | 8:30 PM | 20:30 |
| 11 AM | 9:30 PM | 21:30 |
| 12 PM | 10:30 PM | 22:30 |
| 1 PM | 11:30 PM | 23:30 |
| 2 PM | 12:30 AM +1 day | 00:30 |
| 3 PM | 1:30 AM +1 day | 01:30 |
| 4 PM | 2:30 AM +1 day | 02:30 |
| 5 PM | 3:30 AM +1 day | 03:30 |
| 6 PM | 4:30 AM +1 day | 04:30 |
| 7 PM | 5:30 AM +1 day | 05:30 |
| 8 PM | 6:30 AM +1 day | 06:30 |
| 9 PM | 7:30 AM +1 day | 07:30 |
| 10 PM | 8:30 AM +1 day | 08:30 |
| 11 PM | 9:30 AM +1 day | 09:30 |
No row is highlighted because a standard 9–6 day in CST never overlaps a 9–5 day in IST — see the meeting section below for the closest workable slots.
Popular conversion times
| CST | IST |
|---|---|
| 9 AM CST | 7:30 PM |
| 10 AM CST | 8:30 PM |
| 11 AM CST | 9:30 PM |
| 12 PM CST | 10:30 PM |
| 3 PM CST | 1:30 AM+1 day |
| 5 PM CST | 3:30 AM+1 day |
| 6 PM CST | 4:30 AM+1 day |
| 8 PM CST | 6:30 AM+1 day |
Business hours and meeting times
Comparing a 9:00–18:00 working day in CST against 9:00–17:00 in IST, across the whole week — a slot only counts if it lands on a working day at both ends.
Both sides work Monday to Friday, so the working weeks line up and you share 5 days.
Rows are days in CST. Columns are hours of the CST day.
No standard overlap
A 9–6 day in CST never meets a 9–5 day in IST on any day of the week, so one side has to move outside normal hours. Ranked by how far outside:
- 9 AM CST = 7:30 PM IST — well outside normal hours — 3 hours and 30 minutes beyond
- 10 AM CST = 8:30 PM IST — well outside normal hours — 4 hours and 30 minutes beyond
- 11 AM CST = 9:30 PM IST — well outside normal hours — 5 hours and 30 minutes beyond
These hold on every shared working day (5 a week). Teams working this gap regularly tend to alternate which side takes the early or late call, and keep the synchronous meeting short.
Public holidays
A shared working day is only usable if neither side is on holiday — and India and IST build their calendars on different systems, so the days each loses rarely coincide.
Over the next 8 weeks you share 39 working days. 3are lost to a public holiday on one side or the other, leaving 36.
| Date | Who is off | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, October 2, 2026 | India | Gandhi Jayanti |
| Monday, October 12, 2026 | CST | Columbus Day |
| Tuesday, October 20, 2026 | India | Dussehra (Vijayadashami) |
Next holidays in CST
- Monday, October 12, 2026Columbus Daypublished date
- Wednesday, November 11, 2026Veterans Daypublished date
- Thursday, November 26, 2026Thanksgiving Daypublished date
- Friday, December 25, 2026Christmas Daypublished date
- Friday, January 1, 2027New Year's Daypublished date
Public holidays as published by https://date.nager.at, covering 2026–2028. Regional and employer-specific days are not included.
Next holidays in India
- Friday, October 2, 2026Gandhi Jayantisame date every year
- Tuesday, October 20, 2026Dussehra (Vijayadashami)partialpublished date
- Sunday, November 8, 2026Diwalipublished date
- Monday, November 9, 2026Diwalipublished date
- Friday, December 25, 2026Christmas Daypartialsame date every year
India has three national holidays on which the whole country closes. Everything else is either a central-government gazetted holiday that individual employers choose to observe, or a state holiday. Festival dates follow lunisolar calendars and move every year, so they are listed explicitly rather than derived.
Holiday dates for CST and elsewhere come from a dataset last refreshed on 2026-09-12 (date.nager.at plus curated national calendars). Lunar dates — Eid, Chinese New Year, the Jewish holidays — are predicted and can move by a day once officially announced. Regional, state and employer-specific holidays are not included. Confirm anything you are booking a flight around.
About this conversion
CST is also the abbreviation for China Standard Time, which is UTC+8:00 — the opposite side of the world. This page means US Central Time.
India runs on a single time zone, UTC+5:30, and has not observed daylight saving time since 1945. The half-hour offset is why IST conversions rarely land on a round hour.
Frequently asked questions
What is the time difference between CST and IST?
It depends on the date. IST is 11 hours and 30 minutes ahead of CST in January and 10 hours and 30 minutes ahead in July, because CST changes clocks for daylight saving time. Use the converter above with the date you actually need.
What time is 9 AM CST in IST?
9:00 AM CST is 8:30 PM in IST during IST, and 7:30 PM during daylight time. The table on this page lists all 24 hours for the date you pick.
What is the best time for a meeting between CST and IST?
Standard working days do not overlap at all in this pair, so somebody has to stretch. The closest slot is 9 AM CST / 7:30 PM IST — it well outside normal hours — 3 hours and 30 minutes beyond. Teams that meet regularly across this gap usually alternate who takes the awkward end.
Does CST observe daylight saving time?
Yes. CST alternates between CST (UTC-6:00) and CDT (UTC-5:00). In 2026, clocks in CST go forward on March 8, 2026 and back on November 1, 2026. India does not shift at all, so the gap between the two moves twice a year.
When do the clocks change in CST?
In 2026, clocks in CST go forward on March 8, 2026 and back on November 1, 2026. Between those dates the gap from India is 10 hours and 30 minutes; outside them it is 11 hours and 30 minutes.
Why does the CST–IST difference change during the year?
Because CST switches between CST (UTC-6:00) and CDT (UTC-5:00) for daylight saving, while the other side does not move. A converter that assumes one fixed gap will be an hour wrong for roughly half the year.
How many hours a week do CST and IST actually overlap?
None at standard hours. A 9–6 day in CST does not meet a 9–5 day in IST on any day of the week, so a recurring call means one side works early or late — the section above ranks the least disruptive options.
Do public holidays in CST and IST line up?
Barely. Over the next eight weeks the two sides share 39 working days, and 3 of those are a public holiday on one side or the other, leaving 36. The next holiday in IST is Gandhi Jayanti on 2026-10-02. Indian, Gulf and Western holiday calendars are built on different systems, so the days each side loses rarely coincide.
Is CST ahead of IST?
No, it is the other way around: IST is ahead of CST by 10 hours and 30 minutes to 11 hours and 30 minutes.
Converting the other way
Looking up times starting from IST? Use the IST to CST converter, which leads with IST as the starting point and is written for that reader.
Related converters
- IST to EST · Eastern Time
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- IST to UTC · Coordinated Universal Time
- IST to GMT · Greenwich Mean Time
- IST to CET · Central European Time
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- IST to MST · Mountain Time