Military Time Chart: 24-Hour Clock Conversion Made Simple

Military time runs on the 24-hour clock: the day starts at 0000 (midnight) and ends at 2359, with no AM or PM. It is used by the military, hospitals, airlines, emergency services and logistics companies because it removes any chance of confusing 7 o’clock in the morning with 7 o’clock at night.

Below you will find a complete conversion chart, the two simple rules that convert any time in your head, and how to say military time out loud. Need a specific time converted instantly? Use the free Military Time Converter — it works both ways and runs right in your browser.

Military time chart (all 24 hours)

How to convert standard time to military time

Two rules cover every case:

• AM times stay the same. Just write them as four digits with a leading zero when needed: 6:30 AM becomes 0630, 9:15 AM becomes 0915, 11:45 AM becomes 1145.
• PM times: add 12 to the hour. 1:00 PM becomes 1300 (1 + 12), 4:30 PM becomes 1630, 9:20 PM becomes 2120.

The two edge cases worth memorizing: noon is 1200 and midnight is 0000.

How to convert military time back to standard time

• 0000 to 1159: read it as-is in the morning — 0730 is 7:30 AM.
• 1200 to 1259: that is the noon hour — 1215 is 12:15 PM.
• 1300 to 2359: subtract 12 from the hour and add PM — 1745 is 5:45 PM (17 − 12 = 5), 2230 is 10:30 PM.

Minutes never change between the two systems: 2:45 PM is simply 1445. If you need to add or subtract hours and minutes — shift lengths, layovers, duty hours — the Time Add & Subtract calculator handles that instantly.

Common lookups at a glance

The conversions people search for most often:

• 1330 = 1:30 PM  ·  1430 = 2:30 PM  ·  1530 = 3:30 PM
• 1630 = 4:30 PM  ·  1730 = 5:30 PM  ·  1830 = 6:30 PM
• 1930 = 7:30 PM  ·  2030 = 8:30 PM  ·  2130 = 9:30 PM
• 0030 = 12:30 AM  ·  1230 = 12:30 PM  ·  2359 = 11:59 PM

How to say military time out loud

On the hour, say the number followed by “hundred”: 0800 is “zero eight hundred”, 1400 is “fourteen hundred”. With minutes, just read the four digits in pairs: 0645 is “zero six forty-five”, 1815 is “eighteen fifteen”. In formal military usage you may hear “hours” added at the end — “fourteen hundred hours”.

Military time vs. the 24-hour clock: is there a difference?

They tell the same time, with two small formatting differences. The international 24-hour clock (used across Europe, Asia and by most digital devices) writes a colon between hours and minutes — 14:30 — while U.S. military style drops the colon and keeps a leading zero — 1430. Pronunciation also differs: a train timetable reads 14:30 as “fourteen thirty”, never “fourteen hundred hours”.

What is Zulu time?

In aviation and military operations you will see a letter Z after the time — 1400Z, spoken “fourteen hundred Zulu”. The Z stands for the Zulu time zone, which is UTC (Greenwich Mean Time with no daylight saving). It gives pilots and units in different countries one shared reference clock. To see what Zulu time corresponds to where you live, the Time Zone Converter converts between UTC and any local zone, and the World Clock shows live times across major cities.

Who actually uses military time?

Beyond the armed forces: hospitals chart medication times in 24-hour format so a 7 PM dose is never given at 7 AM; airlines publish schedules this way; emergency dispatchers, railways, shipping and logistics companies all rely on it. If your job involves timesheets in 24-hour format, the Hours Calculator totals your daily work hours and weekly pay from clock-in and clock-out times.

Frequently asked questions

Is midnight 0000 or 2400 in military time?

Both appear in practice, with different meanings: 0000 marks the start of a new day, while 2400 is occasionally used to mark the end of the previous day (for example, a shift ending at 2400 on Friday). Digital systems and most style guides use 0000.

What is 1400 in military time?

1400 is 2:00 PM. Any military time from 1300 upward converts to standard time by subtracting 12 from the hour.

Does military time use a colon?

U.S. military style writes four digits with no colon (1430) and often adds “hours” when spoken. The civilian 24-hour clock writes 14:30 with a colon. Both mean 2:30 PM.

How do I quickly convert military time in my head?

For any time from 1300 to 2359, subtract 2 from the hour digits and then remove 10 — or simply subtract 12. Example: 2100 → 21 − 12 = 9, so 9:00 PM. Morning times need no math at all.

Why do militaries use the 24-hour clock?

Orders, flight plans and medical charts cannot afford AM/PM ambiguity. A single four-digit number identifies one exact minute of the day, which prevents costly — sometimes dangerous — misreadings.

Need a conversion right now? The free Military Time Converter switches between 12-hour and 24-hour time instantly — no sign-up, works offline in your browser.