How to convert between standard and military time
Military time counts the hours from 00 to 23 instead of repeating 1 to 12 twice. From midnight to noon the hours look familiar: 7:15 AM is 0715. After noon you add 12: 1 PM is 1300, 3:30 PM is 1530 and 11:45 PM is 2345.
To go back, subtract 12 from any hour above 12 and add PM. So 1830 is 6:30 PM. Two hours trip people up: 0000 is 12:00 AM (midnight), and 1200 is 12:00 PM (noon). Minutes never change.
For example, 9:05 PM is 2105, said "twenty-one zero five". And 0600 is 6:00 AM, said "zero six hundred".
Military time chart
| Standard time | 24-hour clock | Military time | Said aloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM (midnight) | 00:00 | 0000 | zero zero hundred |
| 1:00 AM | 01:00 | 0100 | zero one hundred |
| 2:00 AM | 02:00 | 0200 | zero two hundred |
| 3:00 AM | 03:00 | 0300 | zero three hundred |
| 4:00 AM | 04:00 | 0400 | zero four hundred |
| 5:00 AM | 05:00 | 0500 | zero five hundred |
| 6:00 AM | 06:00 | 0600 | zero six hundred |
| 7:00 AM | 07:00 | 0700 | zero seven hundred |
| 8:00 AM | 08:00 | 0800 | zero eight hundred |
| 9:00 AM | 09:00 | 0900 | zero nine hundred |
| 10:00 AM | 10:00 | 1000 | ten hundred |
| 11:00 AM | 11:00 | 1100 | eleven hundred |
| 12:00 PM (noon) | 12:00 | 1200 | twelve hundred |
| 1:00 PM | 13:00 | 1300 | thirteen hundred |
| 2:00 PM | 14:00 | 1400 | fourteen hundred |
| 3:00 PM | 15:00 | 1500 | fifteen hundred |
| 4:00 PM | 16:00 | 1600 | sixteen hundred |
| 5:00 PM | 17:00 | 1700 | seventeen hundred |
| 6:00 PM | 18:00 | 1800 | eighteen hundred |
| 7:00 PM | 19:00 | 1900 | nineteen hundred |
| 8:00 PM | 20:00 | 2000 | twenty hundred |
| 9:00 PM | 21:00 | 2100 | twenty-one hundred |
| 10:00 PM | 22:00 | 2200 | twenty-two hundred |
| 11:00 PM | 23:00 | 2300 | twenty-three hundred |
Common questions
What is military time?
Military time is the 24-hour clock written as four digits with no colon and no AM or PM. The day runs from 0000 at midnight to 2359 one minute before the next midnight, so 3:30 PM is simply 1530.
How do I convert standard time to military time?
For AM times, keep the hour and add a leading zero if needed: 7:15 AM is 0715. For PM times, add 12 to the hour: 7:15 PM is 1915. Two special cases: 12:00 AM becomes 0000, and 12 PM stays 12, so 12:30 PM is 1230.
How do I convert military time to standard time?
If the hour is 12 or less, it is the same hour, with AM before noon and PM from 1200. If the hour is 13 or more, subtract 12 and use PM: 1830 is 6:30 PM. The hour 00 becomes 12 AM, so 0045 is 12:45 AM.
What is the difference between 0000 and 2400?
Both mean midnight. 0000 is midnight at the start of a day, and 2400 is midnight at the end of the same day, which is the same moment as 0000 the next day. Many military and style guides prefer 0000 and 2359 to avoid confusion over the date.
How do you say military time out loud?
Say each hour as two digits, then the minutes. 0800 is "zero eight hundred", 1530 is "fifteen thirty" and 2145 is "twenty-one forty-five". Minutes under ten keep the zero, so 0905 is "zero nine zero five". Exact hours use "hundred", so 1000 is "ten hundred" and 2000 is "twenty hundred".
Do you write military time with a colon?
Military time is usually written without one, as 1530, often followed by "hours" or "hrs". Civilian 24-hour times use a colon, as in 15:30, and the international date and time standard (ISO 8601) does too. The calculator shows both so you can copy the one you need.
Is military time the same as the 24-hour clock?
They count the day the same way. The 24-hour clock is the system, and military time is the style used by the armed forces and others: four digits, no separator and a spoken form with "hundred". A hospital rota or train timetable in 24-hour time is read the same way.
Who uses military time?
Armed forces, aviation, emergency services, hospitals and shipping use it because 1700 can never be mistaken for 5 AM. Timetables in many countries use it too. Daily speech in the United States and a number of other countries stays on the 12-hour clock, which is why the conversion comes up.