What is the Difference Between CST and IST?

The difference between Central Standard Time (CST) and India Standard Time (IST) lies in their time offsets from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and the countries they are used in.

• Central Standard Time (CST):
• Offset: CST is 6 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and is used in North America.
• Countries: CST is used in countries such as Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and the United States.
• Principal Cities: Major cities in the CST timezone include Mexico City, Chicago, and Houston.
• India Standard Time (IST):
• Offset: IST is 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
• Countries: IST is used exclusively in India.

The time difference between CST and IST is 11.5 hours, with IST being ahead of CST. To convert between the two time zones:

• If it is currently a specific time in CST, you would add 11.5 hours to get the corresponding time in IST.
• If it is currently a specific time in IST, you would subtract 11.5 hours to get the corresponding time in CST.

For example, if it is 7:30 PM CST, you would add 11.5 hours to get 7:00 AM IST. Conversely, if it is 7:00 AM IST, you would subtract 11.5 hours to get 7:30 PM CST.

Comparative Table: CST vs IST

The difference between Central Standard Time (CST) and India Standard Time (IST) is 11.5 hours. To create a table that shows the conversion between CST and IST, you can use the following format:

You can continue this pattern to cover the entire 24-hour period. Remember that IST is 11.5 hours ahead of CST, so when it is noon (12:00 PM) in CST, it will be 11:30 AM the next day in IST.