Time Zone Abbreviations — Complete Worldwide Reference
Published on June 5, 2026
Time zone abbreviations are short codes used to identify specific time zones. They appear everywhere — from meeting invites to flight schedules. But with hundreds of abbreviations in use, it's easy to get confused. This page is a complete reference guide to the most common time zone abbreviations, their full names, and their UTC offsets.
North American Time Zone Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Full Name | UTC Offset | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
EST | Eastern Standard Time | UTC-5 | Eastern US, Eastern Canada |
EDT | Eastern Daylight Time | UTC-4 | Eastern US/Canada (Summer) |
CST | Central Standard Time | UTC-6 | Central US, Central Canada, Mexico |
CDT | Central Daylight Time | UTC-5 | Central US/Canada (Summer) |
MST | Mountain Standard Time | UTC-7 | Mountain US, Mountain Canada |
MDT | Mountain Daylight Time | UTC-6 | Mountain US/Canada (Summer) |
PST | Pacific Standard Time | UTC-8 | Western US, Western Canada |
PDT | Pacific Daylight Time | UTC-7 | Western US/Canada (Summer) |
AKST | Alaska Standard Time | UTC-9 | Alaska |
AKDT | Alaska Daylight Time | UTC-8 | Alaska (Summer) |
HST | Hawaii Standard Time | UTC-10 | Hawaii |
AST | Atlantic Standard Time | UTC-4 | Eastern Canada, Caribbean |
NST | Newfoundland Standard Time | UTC-3:30 | Newfoundland, Canada |
European Time Zone Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Full Name | UTC Offset | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
GMT | Greenwich Mean Time | UTC+0 | UK, Ireland, Portugal (Winter) |
BST | British Summer Time | UTC+1 | UK (Summer) |
IST | Irish Standard Time | UTC+1 | Ireland (Summer) |
WET | Western European Time | UTC+0 | Portugal, Canary Islands |
CET | Central European Time | UTC+1 | France, Germany, Spain, Italy (Winter) |
CEST | Central European Summer Time | UTC+2 | Central Europe (Summer) |
EET | Eastern European Time | UTC+2 | Greece, Finland, Baltic States (Winter) |
EEST | Eastern European Summer Time | UTC+3 | Eastern Europe (Summer) |
MSK | Moscow Standard Time | UTC+3 | Russia (Moscow) |
Asia-Pacific Time Zone Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Full Name | UTC Offset | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
IST | India Standard Time | UTC+5:30 | India |
PKT | Pakistan Standard Time | UTC+5 | Pakistan |
BST | Bangladesh Standard Time | UTC+6 | Bangladesh |
ICT | Indochina Time | UTC+7 | Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia |
WIB | Western Indonesian Time | UTC+7 | Indonesia (Jakarta) |
CST | China Standard Time | UTC+8 | China, Taiwan |
HKT | Hong Kong Time | UTC+8 | Hong Kong |
SGT | Singapore Time | UTC+8 | Singapore |
JST | Japan Standard Time | UTC+9 | Japan |
KST | Korea Standard Time | UTC+9 | South Korea |
PHT | Philippine Time | UTC+8 | Philippines |
GST | Gulf Standard Time | UTC+4 | UAE, Oman |
AST | Arabia Standard Time | UTC+3 | Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar |
IST | Israel Standard Time | UTC+2 | Israel (Winter) |
IDT | Israel Daylight Time | UTC+3 | Israel (Summer) |
Australian Time Zone Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Full Name | UTC Offset | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
AWST | Australian Western Standard Time | UTC+8 | Western Australia |
ACST | Australian Central Standard Time | UTC+9:30 | South Australia, Northern Territory |
ACDT | Australian Central Daylight Time | UTC+10:30 | South Australia (Summer) |
AEST | Australian Eastern Standard Time | UTC+10 | Queensland, NSW, Victoria (Winter) |
AEDT | Australian Eastern Daylight Time | UTC+11 | NSW, Victoria, Tasmania (Summer) |
NZST | New Zealand Standard Time | UTC+12 | New Zealand (Winter) |
NZDT | New Zealand Daylight Time | UTC+13 | New Zealand (Summer) |
Military Time Zones
The military uses a single-letter system to designate time zones. Zulu (Z) is the most famous, representing UTC.
| Code | Name | UTC Offset |
|---|---|---|
Z | Zulu Time | UTC+0 |
A | Alpha Time | UTC+1 |
B | Bravo Time | UTC+2 |
C | Charlie Time | UTC+3 |
D | Delta Time | UTC+4 |
E | Echo Time | UTC+5 |
F | Foxtrot Time | UTC+6 |
G | Golf Time | UTC+7 |
H | Hotel Time | UTC+8 |
I | India Time | UTC+9 |
K | Kilo Time | UTC+10 |
L | Lima Time | UTC+11 |
M | Mike Time | UTC+12 |
N | November Time | UTC-1 |
O | Oscar Time | UTC-2 |
P | Papa Time | UTC-3 |
Q | Quebec Time | UTC-4 |
R | Romeo Time | UTC-5 |
S | Sierra Time | UTC-6 |
T | Tango Time | UTC-7 |
U | Uniform Time | UTC-8 |
V | Victor Time | UTC-9 |
W | Whiskey Time | UTC-10 |
X | X-ray Time | UTC-11 |
Y | Yankee Time | UTC-12 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an abbreviation and a time zone name?
Abbreviations like EST or PST are short codes, while full IANA time zone names like America/New_York are precise identifiers used by computers. Abbreviations can be ambiguous — for example, IST can mean India Standard Time, Irish Standard Time, or Israel Standard Time. Always use IANA names for accuracy. Check our world clock for exact local times.
Why do some abbreviations have 'S' and 'D' versions?
The 'S' stands for Standard (winter time) and 'D' stands for Daylight (summer time). For example, EST is Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5) and EDT is Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4). The clock moves forward one hour during Daylight Saving Time.
Is UTC an abbreviation?
UTC stands for Coordinated Universal Time. It is not a time zone but a time standard — the basis for all world timekeeping. Learn more in our What is UTC? guide.