What is Military Time?
Military time uses the 24-hour clock instead of splitting the day into two 12-hour periods with AM and PM. It runs from 0000 through 2359: 0000 represents midnight, 1200 represents noon, and 2359 is 11:59 PM.
How to Convert Standard Time to Military Time
For 1:00 AM through 9:59 AM, keep the hour and add a leading zero. From 10:00 AM through 11:59 AM, the hour stays the same. Noon is 1200. For 1:00 PM through 11:59 PM, add 12 to the hour. Midnight is 0000.
How to Convert Military Time to Standard Time
Start with the first two digits. 0000 is midnight; 0100 through 1159 are AM; 1200 is noon; and for 1300 through 2359, subtract 12 from the hour and use PM.
Military Time vs. Standard Time
Standard time repeats the hours from 1 through 12 and uses AM or PM to identify the half of the day. Military time gives each hour its own four-digit position on a 24-hour clock, so 5:00 AM is 0500 while 5:00 PM is 1700.
Why Does the Military Use the 24-Hour Clock?
A 24-hour clock reduces AM/PM ambiguity and makes schedules easier to communicate clearly. It is useful in military settings and many other fields where people need to coordinate around an exact time. Military time is a format, while Zulu time refers specifically to UTC; local military time is not automatically Zulu time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is it in military time?
The current military time depends on your device's local clock. The current-time display at the top of this page converts that local time into four digits automatically.
What is military time?
Military time is a 24-hour time format that runs from 0000 through 2359 instead of using AM and PM.
How do I convert regular time to military time?
Remove the colon and AM/PM. Add a leading zero for 1:00 AM through 9:59 AM, keep 10:00 AM through 12:59 PM as their hour, and add 12 to afternoon hours from 1:00 PM through 11:59 PM.
How do I convert military time to regular time?
Read the first two digits as the hour. 0000 is 12:00 AM, 0100 through 1159 are AM, 1200 is 12:00 PM, and 1300 through 2359 become PM after subtracting 12 from the hour.
What is 1700 in military time?
1700 is 5:00 PM in standard time.
What is midnight in military time?
Midnight at the start of a day is 0000.
Is 2400 valid military time?
0000 is the standard representation for midnight at the start of a day. Some schedules use 2400 to describe the end of a day, but 2400 is outside this converter's valid range of 0000 through 2359.
What is noon in military time?
Noon is 1200.
Do you say “hours” after military time?
You may say “hours” after a military time in spoken communication, especially in formal contexts. For example, 1700 can be said as “seventeen hundred hours.”
Is military time the same as Zulu time?
No. Military time is a 24-hour format. Zulu time means UTC, a specific time zone. A local time can use military format without being Zulu time.