Why the 2-hour gap between Pacific Time and Central Time never changes
Both zones spring forward on the same Sunday (the second Sunday of March) and fall back on the same Sunday (the first Sunday of November). That lockstep keeps the offset constant. Pacific Standard Time sits at UTC−8; Central Standard Time is UTC−6. In summer, Pacific Daylight Time moves to UTC−7 while Central Daylight Time shifts to UTC−5. The gap stays 2 hours, year-round.
Does the abbreviation matter when converting Pacific Time to Central Time?
No. The arithmetic is always add 2 hours. The label changes, the number does not.
If it is 08:00 PST in Seattle, it is 10:00 CST in Chicago. If it is 14:00 PDT in San Francisco, it is 16:00 CDT in Dallas. Use "Pacific Time" or "PT" if you want to avoid the PST/PDT guesswork entirely.
Quick-Reference Conversion Table
| Pacific Time (PT) | Central Time (CT) |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | 02:00 |
| 01:00 | 03:00 |
| 02:00 | 04:00 |
| 03:00 | 05:00 |
| 04:00 | 06:00 |
| 05:00 | 07:00 |
| 06:00 | 08:00 |
| 07:00 | 09:00 |
| 08:00 | 10:00 |
| 09:00 | 11:00 |
| 10:00 | 12:00 |
| 11:00 | 13:00 |
| 12:00 | 14:00 |
| 13:00 | 15:00 |
| 14:00 | 16:00 |
| 15:00 | 17:00 |
| 16:00 | 18:00 |
| 17:00 | 19:00 |
| 18:00 | 20:00 |
| 19:00 | 21:00 |
| 20:00 | 22:00 |
| 21:00 | 23:00 |
| 22:00 | 00:00 (next day) |
| 23:00 | 01:00 (next day) |
What is the best meeting window from Pacific Time to Central Time?
A 2-hour gap is small enough to manage, large enough to eat the afternoon. 09:00 PT (11:00 CT) works: the West Coast is at desks and Central colleagues are still pre-lunch. 09:00 to 12:00 PT gives a solid three-hour overlap before Central breaks.
Afternoon cuts hurt. A 16:00 CT deadline lands at 14:00 PT. Teams in Los Angeles or Vancouver lose two hours of working afternoon. Do not schedule a 16:00 PT meeting unless you want Central colleagues dialling in at 18:00 CT.
For calls reaching further east, the Central offset adds a small extra hop: London is 8 hours ahead of PT in winter, 6 hours ahead of CT.
Financial Markets: CME and NYSE in Pacific Time
CME futures trade on Central Time. The regular session for most products runs 08:30 to 13:00 CT. That is 06:30 to 11:00 PT.
NYSE and NASDAQ open at 09:30 ET and close at 16:00 ET. Converted to Pacific Time: 06:30 to 13:00 PT. After-hours trading extends to 17:00 PT. Pre-market begins at 01:00 PT.
If you trade from the West Coast, the NYSE open is a 06:30 PT alarm. CME electronic trading starts earlier still.