How to use the military time converter
The top of the page shows the Military time now on your device, with how it is said. To convert a time, choose a direction:
- Standard to military: pick the hour and minute, choose AM or PM, and the result shows the four-digit military time.
- Military to standard: type four digits from 0000 to 2359, such as 1430, and the result shows the 12-hour time with AM or PM.
Below the converter, the Military time chart lists all 24 hours with their standard time, military time and how each one is said.
How military time works
Military time counts the hours of the day from 00 to 23, so there is no need for AM or PM. It is written with four digits and no colon: two for the hour and two for the minutes. Times are often followed by the word “hours”, as in “1600 hours”.
- Midnight is 0000. Some schedules use 2400 to mean the end of a day.
- Noon is 1200.
- Morning hours from 1 AM to 11 AM keep their number, with a leading zero when needed: 7:05 AM is 0705.
- Afternoon and evening hours from 1 PM add 12: 1 PM is 1300 and 11 PM is 2300.
- 12 AM becomes 00, so 12:30 AM is 0030.
To convert back, subtract 12 from any hour from 13 to 23 and add PM. Hours 00 to 11 are AM, with 00 read as 12 AM.
Examples
| Standard time | Military time | Said as |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM (midnight) | 0000 | zero zero hundred |
| 6:00 AM | 0600 | zero six hundred |
| 9:00 AM | 0900 | zero nine hundred |
| 12:00 PM (noon) | 1200 | twelve hundred |
| 2:30 PM | 1430 | fourteen thirty |
| 5:45 PM | 1745 | seventeen forty-five |
| 11:59 PM | 2359 | twenty-three fifty-nine |
Military time and Zulu time
Armed forces and aviation often work across time zones, so they add a letter for the zone. The letter Z, called Zulu, stands for Coordinated Universal Time: 0800Z is 08:00 UTC, whatever the local time. Check the current UTC time on the GMT page, and compare local times in different places with the world clock or the guide to time zones. To add or subtract hours and minutes, use the time calculator.