Military Time: 24-Hour Clock Chart and Conversion (Free)
Military time counts hours 00 to 23, so 3 pm is 1500. A conversion chart, midnight and noon edge cases, and durations with a free time duration calculator.
Published · 4 min read
Military time is the 24-hour clock: the day runs from 00:00 (midnight) to 23:59, with no a.m. or p.m. For afternoon and evening hours, add 12: 3:00 pm is 15:00, or "1500" in military style. For times before 1 pm, keep the number (adding a leading zero), except that 12 midnight becomes 00:00. Working out how long a shift lasts is easier in 24-hour time, and the free time duration calculator does it for any two times, even overnight.
The 24-hour clock is standard for train and flight timetables, hospitals, the armed forces and most of the world's written times. In India, railway and airline tickets use it; in the US, it's mostly called "military time".
Military time conversion chart
| 12-hour | 24-hour | Military (spoken) |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 am (midnight) | 00:00 | 0000, "zero hundred" |
| 1:00 am | 01:00 | 0100, "zero one hundred" |
| 2:00 am | 02:00 | 0200 |
| 3:00 am | 03:00 | 0300 |
| 4:00 am | 04:00 | 0400 |
| 5:00 am | 05:00 | 0500 |
| 6:00 am | 06:00 | 0600, "zero six hundred" |
| 7:00 am | 07:00 | 0700 |
| 8:00 am | 08:00 | 0800 |
| 9:00 am | 09:00 | 0900 |
| 10:00 am | 10:00 | 1000, "ten hundred" |
| 11:00 am | 11:00 | 1100 |
| 12:00 pm (noon) | 12:00 | 1200, "twelve hundred" |
| 1:00 pm | 13:00 | 1300, "thirteen hundred" |
| 2:00 pm | 14:00 | 1400 |
| 3:00 pm | 15:00 | 1500 |
| 4:00 pm | 16:00 | 1600 |
| 5:00 pm | 17:00 | 1700 |
| 6:00 pm | 18:00 | 1800 |
| 7:00 pm | 19:00 | 1900 |
| 8:00 pm | 20:00 | 2000 |
| 9:00 pm | 21:00 | 2100 |
| 10:00 pm | 22:00 | 2200 |
| 11:00 pm | 23:00 | 2300 |
Minutes don't change: 2:45 pm is 14:45, and 9:05 am is 09:05.
The two rules
12-hour to 24-hour:
- From 1:00 pm to 11:59 pm, add 12 to the hour. 7:30 pm → 19:30.
- From 12:00 am to 12:59 am, the hour becomes 00. 12:20 am → 00:20.
- Everything else stays the same. 9:15 am → 09:15, and 12:40 pm → 12:40.
24-hour to 12-hour:
- From 13:00 to 23:59, subtract 12 and add pm. 18:10 → 6:10 pm.
- 00:00 to 00:59 is 12 something am. 00:45 → 12:45 am.
- 12:00 to 12:59 is pm. 12:30 → 12:30 pm.
- Everything else is am.
Midnight and noon: the edge cases
These two times cause most of the confusion.
- 12:00 am is midnight, the start of the day: 00:00. 12:00 pm is noon: 12:00. Many people mix these up, which is why tickets and contracts often avoid "12 am" altogether and write "midnight" or "00:00".
- 24:00 also means midnight, but at the end of a day. "Monday 24:00" is the same moment as "Tuesday 00:00". You'll see it on opening hours ("open 18:00-24:00") and some timetables. Digital clocks never show it; they roll from 23:59 to 00:00.
- A night train at 00:15 on the 12th leaves just after midnight between the 11th and 12th, not late on the 12th. This catches people every year; if your ticket says 00:15, be at the station the evening before.
How it's written and said
- Civilian 24-hour: written with a colon, 14:30, and usually said "fourteen thirty".
- Military: written as four digits with no colon, 1430, and said "fourteen thirty" or "fourteen thirty hours". On the hour, "fourteen hundred". Leading zeros are spoken: 0600 is "zero six hundred".
- Military messages often add a time zone letter, such as 1430Z, where Z (Zulu) means UTC. The UTC vs GMT guide explains why UTC is the reference.
Working out durations in 24-hour time
Durations are where the 24-hour clock shines, because there's no am/pm switch in the middle.
Same day: subtract. 17:45 − 09:15 = 8 hours 30 minutes.
Overnight: add 24 hours to the end time first. A shift from 22:00 to 06:30 is (06:30 + 24:00) − 22:00 = 8 hours 30 minutes.
In the calculator:
- Open the free time duration calculator and keep Time between two times selected.
- Enter the Start and End times. The time boxes follow your device's clock setting, so they may show 10:00 PM or 22:00; both mean the same.
- If the end time is earlier than the start, it's counted as the next day automatically and Ends the next day is ticked for you.
- Check Minus a break. It starts at 30m, so change it or clear it if you want the full elapsed time (22:00 to 06:30 shows 8 hours 30 minutes only with the box empty).
- Read the total in hours and minutes, decimal hours and minutes.
For adding up a week of shifts, the guide to adding hours and minutes uses the Add and subtract hours mode.
Seeing 24-hour time across time zones
When you plan calls across countries, 24-hour time avoids am/pm mix-ups, especially when one city is already on the next day. The free time zone converter has a 24-hour clock box: tick it and every city's time, and the meeting planner, switch to 24-hour format. The IST to EST guide shows a worked example.
Try it now
Enter any two times in the free time duration calculator to get the hours between them, overnight shifts included. It's free, needs no sign-up and runs on your device.
Frequently asked questions
- What is 1500 in military time?
- 3:00 pm. Subtract 12 from any hour above 12 to get the afternoon or evening time.
- Is midnight 0000 or 2400?
- Both are used. 00:00 is the start of a day and 24:00 is the end of the previous one; they're the same moment. Clocks and most timetables show 00:00.
- Is 12 pm noon or midnight?
- Noon. 12 am is midnight. In 24-hour time they're 12:00 and 00:00, which removes the confusion.
- How do you say 0600 in military time?
- "Zero six hundred". Military time says the leading zero and uses "hundred" for times on the hour.
- How do I calculate hours between two 24-hour times?
- Subtract the start from the end. If the end is earlier (an overnight shift), add 24 hours to it first: 22:00 to 06:30 is 8 hours 30 minutes.
Calculators
Try the Time Duration Calculator
Free, no sign-up, works in your browser. Work out the hours and minutes between two times, including overnight shifts and breaks, or add and subtract lists of hours like 8:30 + 7:45.