REFERENCE
Timezone Abbreviations Guide: EST, PST, GMT, IST & More
A complete reference of timezone abbreviations used worldwide — what they mean, their UTC offsets, and which cities use them.
March 1, 2026
abbreviations timezones reference
Common Timezone Abbreviations
North America
| Abbreviation | Full Name | UTC Offset | Major Cities |
|---|---|---|---|
| EST | Eastern Standard Time | −05:00 | New York, Toronto, Miami |
| EDT | Eastern Daylight Time | −04:00 | (same cities, summer) |
| CST | Central Standard Time | −06:00 | Chicago, Houston, Mexico City |
| CDT | Central Daylight Time | −05:00 | (same cities, summer) |
| MST | Mountain Standard Time | −07:00 | Denver, Phoenix, Calgary |
| MDT | Mountain Daylight Time | −06:00 | (same cities except Phoenix, summer) |
| PST | Pacific Standard Time | −08:00 | Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver |
| PDT | Pacific Daylight Time | −07:00 | (same cities, summer) |
| AKST | Alaska Standard Time | −09:00 | Anchorage, Fairbanks |
| HST | Hawaii Standard Time | −10:00 | Honolulu (no DST) |
Europe
| Abbreviation | Full Name | UTC Offset | Major Cities |
|---|---|---|---|
| GMT | Greenwich Mean Time | +00:00 | London (winter), Reykjavik |
| BST | British Summer Time | +01:00 | London (summer) |
| CET | Central European Time | +01:00 | Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid |
| CEST | Central European Summer Time | +02:00 | (same cities, summer) |
| EET | Eastern European Time | +02:00 | Helsinki, Athens, Kyiv |
| EEST | Eastern European Summer Time | +03:00 | (same cities, summer) |
| MSK | Moscow Standard Time | +03:00 | Moscow, St. Petersburg |
Asia & Pacific
| Abbreviation | Full Name | UTC Offset | Major Cities |
|---|---|---|---|
| IST | India Standard Time | +05:30 | Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore |
| PKT | Pakistan Standard Time | +05:00 | Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad |
| NPT | Nepal Standard Time | +05:45 | Kathmandu |
| ICT | Indochina Time | +07:00 | Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City |
| CST | China Standard Time | +08:00 | Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu |
| SGT | Singapore Time | +08:00 | Singapore |
| JST | Japan Standard Time | +09:00 | Tokyo, Osaka |
| KST | Korea Standard Time | +09:00 | Seoul |
| AEST | Australian Eastern Standard Time | +10:00 | Sydney, Melbourne |
| NZST | New Zealand Standard Time | +12:00 | Auckland, Wellington |
Middle East & Africa
| Abbreviation | Full Name | UTC Offset | Major Cities |
|---|---|---|---|
| GST | Gulf Standard Time | +04:00 | Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat |
| AST | Arabia Standard Time | +03:00 | Riyadh, Kuwait City, Doha |
| EAT | East Africa Time | +03:00 | Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Kampala |
| WAT | West Africa Time | +01:00 | Lagos, Kinshasa, Algiers |
| CAT | Central Africa Time | +02:00 | Johannesburg, Kigali, Harare |
| SAST | South Africa Standard Time | +02:00 | Cape Town, Johannesburg |
Watch Out for Ambiguous Abbreviations
Some abbreviations are used for multiple timezones:
- CST can mean Central Standard Time (US, −06:00) or China Standard Time (+08:00)
- IST can mean India Standard Time (+05:30), Ireland Standard Time (+01:00), or Israel Standard Time (+02:00)
- BST can mean British Summer Time (+01:00) or Bangladesh Standard Time (+06:00)
When in doubt, use the UTC offset rather than the abbreviation to avoid confusion.
Convert Any Timezone
Use our timezone converter to convert between any of these abbreviations, or check current times worldwide.