Calculate time differences between any two timezones
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A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries of countries and their subdivisions because it is convenient for areas in close commercial or other communication to keep the same time.
By convention, time zones are often defined as offsetting from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) by a whole number of hours. However, some countries use half-hour or even quarter-hour offsets, such as India (UTC+5:30) and Nepal (UTC+5:45).
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is effectively the modern implementation of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
The key difference is that UTC is a precisely defined and maintained atomic time standard, while GMT is historically based on mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. In casual use, GMT is often used interchangeably with UTC, but in scientific contexts, UTC is preferred.
Time zones around the world are expressed as positive or negative offsets from UTC. For example, UTC+8 means 8 hours ahead of UTC, while UTC-5 means 5 hours behind UTC.
Time zones can significantly impact international communication, business operations, and travel planning. When communicating across different time zones, it's important to consider:
This timezone calculator helps simplify these calculations by converting times between different zones accurately.
Daylight Saving Time (DST) is the practice of advancing clocks during warmer months so that darkness falls later each day according to the clock. Typically, regions that use DST adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring and adjust them backward in the autumn.
The main purpose of DST is to make better use of daylight during the longer days of the year. By moving an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening, people can engage in more outdoor activities after work or school.
Not all countries observe DST, and the dates for starting and ending DST vary by country and even by region within countries. This timezone calculator takes DST into account when converting times between different zones.
This timezone calculator is designed to be highly accurate for current time zone conversions. It takes into account:
However, please note that time zone rules can change due to governmental decisions. While we strive to keep our database updated, for the most critical applications (such as flight bookings or critical business meetings), it's always good practice to double-check results against another source.
While most time zones are offset from UTC by whole hours, some regions use 30-minute or even 45-minute offsets. This is typically done to better align the clock time with mean solar time in that location or for historical, political, or geographical reasons.
Examples of places with non-hour offsets include:
These unusual offsets can make time zone calculations more complex, which is why using a reliable timezone calculator like this one is helpful for accurate conversions.
The International Date Line (IDL) is an imaginary line on the Earth's surface that roughly follows the 180° longitude line. The IDL serves as the boundary between one calendar day and the next.
When you cross the IDL traveling west, the date advances by one day. When you cross it traveling east, the date moves back by one day. This is why you can experience the phenomenon of "gaining" or "losing" a day when traveling across the Pacific Ocean.
The IDL is not a straight line because it deviates in several places to avoid dividing countries or territories between two different calendar days. These deviations ensure that closely connected areas share the same date.
This timezone calculator automatically accounts for date changes when converting times across the International Date Line.