How to use the military time converter
- Type a time such as 2:30 PM, 14:30 or 1430.
- The converter detects whether it is 12-hour or 24-hour time and shows the other format.
- Use the chart under the result for all 24 hours. Print it or save the page as a PDF.
Formula
12-hour to 24-hour: hour = (hour mod 12) + 12 if PM; minutes stay the same
24-hour to 12-hour: hour = hour mod 12 (0 becomes 12); AM if before 12:00, PM from 12:00
12:00 AM is midnight and becomes 0000. 12:00 PM is noon and stays 1200. After noon, add 12 to the hour.
Worked example: 2:30 PM
2 PM is in the afternoon, so add 12: 2 + 12 = 14. Keep the minutes: 1430, spoken "fourteen thirty."
Back the other way, 1430 has an hour of 14. Subtract 12 to get 2, and because it is past noon the suffix is PM: 2:30 PM.
The edge cases: 12:00 AM is 0000, 12:30 AM is 0030, 12:00 PM is 1200 and 11:59 PM is 2359.
How military time is written and said
Military time uses four digits with no colon: the first two are the hour from 00 to 23 and the last two are the minutes. It is spoken as the hour and minutes. 0800 is "oh eight hundred" and 1745 is "seventeen forty-five." On the hour, "hundred hours" is used, as in "fourteen hundred hours."
Midnight: 0000 or 2400?
Midnight at the start of a day is 0000. Some schedules write 2400 for the end of a day, but 2400 is not a valid time of day, so this converter rejects it. Use 0000 for midnight.
Who uses 24-hour time
Hospitals, airlines, emergency services, the military and many transport schedules use the 24-hour clock because it removes the AM and PM ambiguity. A medication time of 0600 can never be mistaken for 6 in the evening, which is 1800.
Assumptions and limits
- This converts the notation of a time of day. It does not adjust for time zones.
- Accepted 12-hour hours are 1 to 12 with AM or PM. Accepted 24-hour hours are 00 to 23.
- Seconds are not supported. Enter hours and minutes only.
Frequently asked questions
What is 6 PM in military time?
1800. Add 12 to 6.
What is 0000 versus 2400?
0000 is midnight starting a day. 2400 is not used as a time of day in this converter.
Is military time the same as 24-hour time?
They use the same clock. Military usage adds conventions such as no colon and saying "hundred hours," but the numbers match the 24-hour clock used in many countries and in healthcare.