Live time in Central Time: Central Time, UTC−6. Daylight saving dates, sunrise and sunset, holidays and the difference with major cities. Central Standard Time (CST) is the second easternmost time zone in the United States and is also used in Canada. It covers all or parts of 20 states in the US and three provinces or territories in Canada. See the current Central Time right now with a live CST/CDT clock, date, UTC offset, and city comparison tool for the US Central Time Zone. Prefer to name a city or convert with CST to EST. Historically, Indiana’s zone map shifted several times in the twentieth century; the current Eastern-majority / Central-pocket layout has been stable for years under DOT boundary rules. Exact time now, time zone, time difference, sunrise/sunset time and key facts for Central Standard Time (CST). In North America, Central Time observes standard time at six hours behind UTC (UTC-6), shifting to five hours behind (UTC-5) during daylight saving time. Standard time in the zone is based on the mean solar time of the 90th meridian west of Greenwich. View current time for CST (Central Standard Time) time zone [Updated live]. Other countries and time zones with the same UTC listed too. Out of the seven countries comprising Central America, all but one use Central Standard Time year-round: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. View the current local time, countries, and cities for the US/Central time zone. Includes −06:00 UTC offset. Exact time now, time zone, time difference, sunrise/sunset time and key facts for Central Time (CT).