Time Zone Abbreviations Cheat Sheet: The Only Reference You Need
Keep this page bookmarked. It's the quick reference for every time zone abbreviation you're likely to encounter.
Quick Reference Table
| Abbreviation | Full Name | UTC Offset | DST | IANA Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EST | Eastern Standard Time | UTC-5 | EDT (UTC-4) | America/New_York |
| CST | Central Standard Time | UTC-6 | CDT (UTC-5) | America/Chicago |
| MST | Mountain Standard Time | UTC-7 | MDT (UTC-6) | America/Denver |
| PST | Pacific Standard Time | UTC-8 | PDT (UTC-7) | America/Los_Angeles |
| GMT | Greenwich Mean Time | UTC+0 | BST (UTC+1) | Europe/London |
| CET | Central European Time | UTC+1 | CEST (UTC+2) | Europe/Berlin |
| EET | Eastern European Time | UTC+2 | EEST (UTC+3) | Europe/Athens |
| IST | Indian Standard Time | UTC+5:30 | None | Asia/Kolkata |
| CST | China Standard Time | UTC+8 | None | Asia/Shanghai |
| JST | Japan Standard Time | UTC+9 | None | Asia/Tokyo |
| AEST | Australian Eastern Std | UTC+10 | AEDT (UTC+11) | Australia/Sydney |
| NZST | New Zealand Standard | UTC+12 | NZDT (UTC+13) | Pacific/Auckland |
| BRT | Brasilia Time | UTC-3 | None | America/Sao_Paulo |
| GST | Gulf Standard Time | UTC+4 | None | Asia/Dubai |
| MSK | Moscow Standard Time | UTC+3 | None | Europe/Moscow |
| KST | Korea Standard Time | UTC+9 | None | Asia/Seoul |
| SGT | Singapore Time | UTC+8 | None | Asia/Singapore |
| ICT | Indochina Time | UTC+7 | None | Asia/Bangkok |
| HST | Hawaii Standard Time | UTC-10 | None | Pacific/Honolulu |
| AKST | Alaska Standard Time | UTC-9 | AKDT (UTC-8) | America/Anchorage |
Remember
- Abbreviations like CST, IST, and MST are ambiguous. Use IANA names for precision.
- DST changes the UTC offset but not the IANA name.
America/New_Yorkis always correct, whether it's EST or EDT. - Half-hour offsets: India (UTC+5:30), Iran (UTC+3:30), Afghanistan (UTC+4:30), Nepal (UTC+5:45), parts of Australia (UTC+9:30, UTC+10:30), Newfoundland (UTC-3:30).
- UTC never changes. It's always the same. Use it as your reference point.