Time Zone Abbreviations
What EST, PST, GMT, UTC, and other abbreviations mean
US Time Zone Abbreviations
North America uses these standard time zone abbreviations:
| Abbreviation | Full Name | UTC Offset | Example Cities |
|---|---|---|---|
EST | Eastern Standard Time | UTC-5 | New York, Miami, Toronto |
EDT | Eastern Daylight Time | UTC-4 | New York, Miami, Toronto |
CST | Central Standard Time | UTC-6 | Chicago, Dallas, Mexico City |
CDT | Central Daylight Time | UTC-5 | Chicago, Dallas, Mexico City |
MST | Mountain Standard Time | UTC-7 | Denver, Phoenix, Calgary |
MDT | Mountain Daylight Time | UTC-6 | Denver, Calgary |
PST | Pacific Standard Time | UTC-8 | Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver |
PDT | Pacific Daylight Time | UTC-7 | Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver |
AKST | Alaska Standard Time | UTC-9 | Anchorage |
AKDT | Alaska Daylight Time | UTC-8 | Anchorage |
HST | Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time | UTC-10 | Honolulu |
Note: Arizona (except Navajo Nation) does not observe DST and stays on MST (UTC-7) year-round.
Global Time Zone Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Full Name | UTC Offset | Regions |
|---|---|---|---|
UTC | Coordinated Universal Time | ±00:00 | Reference time, UK winter |
GMT | Greenwich Mean Time | ±00:00 | UK, Ireland, Portugal |
BST | British Summer Time | UTC+1 | UK summer |
CET | Central European Time | UTC+1 | France, Germany, Italy |
CEST | Central European Summer Time | UTC+2 | Europe summer |
EET | Eastern European Time | UTC+2 | Greece, Finland, Egypt |
IST | India Standard Time | UTC+5:30 | India, Sri Lanka |
JST | Japan Standard Time | UTC+9 | Japan, Korea |
CST | China Standard Time | UTC+8 | China, Hong Kong |
AEST | Australian Eastern Standard Time | UTC+10 | Sydney, Melbourne |
AEDT | Australian Eastern Daylight Time | UTC+11 | Sydney summer |
NZST | New Zealand Standard Time | UTC+12 | New Zealand |
Understanding the Abbreviations
Standard vs Daylight Time
The abbreviation without "D" (e.g., EST, PST) indicates Standard Time. The abbreviation with "D" (e.g., EDT, PDT) indicates Daylight Saving Time:
EST→ Eastern Standard Time (winter)EDT→ Eastern Daylight Time (summer)
UTC Offset
The UTC offset shows how many hours the time zone is ahead (+) or behind (-) UTC:
UTC-5= 5 hours behind UTCUTC+9= 9 hours ahead of UTCUTC+5:30= 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of UTC
Common Confusions
- CST can mean China Standard Time (UTC+8) or Central Standard Time (UTC-6)
- IST can mean India Standard Time (UTC+5:30) or Irish Standard Time (UTC+1)
- AEST is Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC+10), not "American Eastern"
See Also
- Time Zones Guide - How world time zones work
- GMT vs UTC - Understanding the difference
- Daylight Saving Time - How DST works