Military Time Converter
24-hour ↔ 12-hour conversion, both directions, with a full reference chart.
| Military | 12-hour | Military | 12-hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0000 | 12:00 AM | 1200 | 12:00 PM |
| 0030 | 12:30 AM | 1230 | 12:30 PM |
| 0100 | 1:00 AM | 1300 | 1:00 PM |
| 0130 | 1:30 AM | 1330 | 1:30 PM |
| 0200 | 2:00 AM | 1400 | 2:00 PM |
| 0230 | 2:30 AM | 1430 | 2:30 PM |
| 0300 | 3:00 AM | 1500 | 3:00 PM |
| 0330 | 3:30 AM | 1530 | 3:30 PM |
| 0400 | 4:00 AM | 1600 | 4:00 PM |
| 0430 | 4:30 AM | 1630 | 4:30 PM |
| 0500 | 5:00 AM | 1700 | 5:00 PM |
| 0530 | 5:30 AM | 1730 | 5:30 PM |
| 0600 | 6:00 AM | 1800 | 6:00 PM |
| 0630 | 6:30 AM | 1830 | 6:30 PM |
| 0700 | 7:00 AM | 1900 | 7:00 PM |
| 0730 | 7:30 AM | 1930 | 7:30 PM |
| 0800 | 8:00 AM | 2000 | 8:00 PM |
| 0830 | 8:30 AM | 2030 | 8:30 PM |
| 0900 | 9:00 AM | 2100 | 9:00 PM |
| 0930 | 9:30 AM | 2130 | 9:30 PM |
| 1000 | 10:00 AM | 2200 | 10:00 PM |
| 1030 | 10:30 AM | 2230 | 10:30 PM |
| 1100 | 11:00 AM | 2300 | 11:00 PM |
| 1130 | 11:30 AM | 2330 | 11:30 PM |
| 2400 | 12:00 AM — end-of-day marker, the same instant as 0000 the next day | ||
Midnight is written 0000 at the start of a day and 2400 at the end of the previous one — both are valid; most systems display 0000.
Military time and time zones
Military timestamps often carry a one-letter timezone suffix. The one you'll actually meet is Z — "Zulu" — which means UTC: 1830Z is 6:30 PM UTC, and your local equivalent is that time shifted by your UTC offset. During US daylight saving, Eastern is UTC−4, so 1830Z = 2:30 PM Eastern; in winter (UTC−5) it's 1:30 PM. Because the offset itself changes with daylight saving, always check which one is in effect for your date.
For the offsets themselves, see the Timezone Converter — it converts any date and time between cities and includes a UTC-offset and daylight-saving reference table for major cities.
How to use this tool
- Type a time in either format — 1830, 18:30, or 6:30 PM — and the other format appears instantly.
- Use the chart for quick reference — every hour and half-hour from 0000 to 2330, plus the 2400 end-of-day marker.
How it works
The 24-hour clock removes the AM/PM ambiguity that causes real scheduling errors — '12 AM Friday' is genuinely confusing (it's the midnight that begins Friday), while 0000 Friday is not. Military convention reads times as hundreds ('0900' is 'zero nine hundred'), omits the colon, and never uses AM/PM.
The 24-hour clock runs 0000 (midnight) to 2359. Converting is arithmetic: after noon, subtract 12 for the PM hour (1830 → 6:30 PM); before 1000, drop the leading zero (0730 → 7:30 AM). The two ambiguity traps of 12-hour time — 12 AM is 0000 and 12 PM is 1200 — are exactly why hospitals, militaries, and airlines use 24-hour time.
Frequently asked questions
Is midnight 0000 or 2400?
Both are valid in the standard: 0000 marks the start of a day and 2400 the end of the previous one — 2400 Monday and 0000 Tuesday are the same instant. Most systems (including this tool) display 0000; 2400 appears mainly in schedules to mark an end-of-day boundary.
What is 1830 in regular time?
6:30 PM — subtract 12 from hours 13 and above.
What is Zulu time?
Zulu time (written with a Z suffix, e.g. 1830Z) is military shorthand for UTC — the zero-offset reference the world's timezones are defined against. To get local time, apply your UTC offset: 1830Z is 2:30 PM in New York during daylight saving (UTC−4) and 1:30 PM during standard time (UTC−5).
How is military time spoken?
As digits, often with 'hundred': 0700 is 'oh seven hundred', 1830 is 'eighteen thirty'.