Calculator Use
Convert military time to regular time with the Military Time Converter. This calculator also does conversion to military time from regular time.
This converter assumes 12:00 am is midnight, and 12:00 pm is noon.
How to Convert to Military Time
To convert from regular time to military time refer to the time chart below or follow these steps.
- If the time is morning or am remove the colon. Military time is the same as regular time in the morning hours. Add a leading zero if the time is earlier than 10 am. For example, 9:30 am is 0930 in military time.
- If the time is after 12:59 pm, remove the colon and add 12 hours to the regular time. For example if the time is 4:24 pm, remove the colon and add 12 hours to get 1624 in military time.
- If the time is 12:00 am midnight to 12:59 am, remove the colon and subtract 12 hours. For example 12:08 am is 0008 in military time.
- 12:00 am midnight in military time is 0000 hours at the beginning of a day or event, and 2400 hours at the end of the day or event.
How to Convert from Military Time to Regular Time
To convert from military time to regular time refer to the time chart below or follow these steps.
- If military time is 0000 to 0059, insert a colon and add 12 hours. Include am for morning.
- If military time is 0100 to 1159, remove leading 0's, insert a colon and include am for morning
- If military time is 1200 to 1259, insert a colon and include pm to indicate the time is after 12:00 noon
- If military time is 1300 to 2359, insert a colon and subtract 12 hours. Include pm to indicate the time is after 12:00 noon.
- 0000 and 2400 in military time are the same as 12:00 am midnight.
See our separate page including a Military Time Chart and Military Minutes Chart.
Print Military Time Chart
0000
12:00 am
12 midnight
1200
12:00 pm
12 noon
0030
12:30 am
1230
12:30 pm
0100
1:00 am
1300
1:00 pm
0130
1:30 am
1330
1:30 pm
0200
2:00 am
1400
2:00 pm
0230
2:30 am
1430
2:30 pm
0300
3:00 am
1500
3:00 pm
0330
3:30 am
1530
3:30 pm
0400
4:00 am
1600
4:00 pm
0430
4:30 am
1630
4:30 pm
0500
5:00 am
1700
5:00 pm
0530
5:30 am
1730
5:30 pm
0600
6:00 am
1800
6:00 pm
0630
6:30 am
1830
6:30 pm
0700
7:00 am
1900
7:00 pm
0730
7:30 am
1930
7:30 pm
0800
8:00 am
2000
8:00 pm
0830
8:30 am
2030
8:30 pm
0900
9:00 am
2100
9:00 pm
0930
9:30 am
2130
9:30 pm
1000
10:00 am
2200
10:00 pm
1030
10:30 am
2230
10:30 pm
1100
11:00 am
2300
11:00 pm
1130
11:30 am
2330
11:30 pm
1200
12:00 pm
12 noon
2400
12:00 am
12 midnight
Military Time Converter
Use the converter below to quickly find out what a specified regular time is in military time and what a given military time is in regular time. Just enter a regular time on the left or a military time on the right and click the corresponding arrow to convert the time.
Military Time Value must be between 0000 and 2400!
Current Military Time Clock
How to Quickly Convert From Military Time
Military times are written with four digits (e.g., 0100 which is 1:00 AM). The first two digits are the hours and the last two digits are the minutes. If a time only has three digits, then the first one is the hour (e.g., 100) and the last two digits are the minutes.
The easiest way to convert a time from military time is to subtract 12 from any hour that is greater than 12 and add PM to the end. For example, if you see 1300 as the time, the hours are 13 and the minutes are 00. Since 13 is greater than 12, subtract 12 which gives you 1 (13-12=1) so you have 1:00 PM.
It is helpful to know that all military bases, including those overseas, observe the standard United States calendar with 12 AM and 12 PM occurring 59 minutes apart. They also use 24-hour days just like we do but they use two digits per hour. For example, if it’s a Monday at 10:30 AM, it would be 10 30. If it’s 1:30 PM on Friday, it would be 13 30 (1/13).
How to Quickly Convert to Military Time
If you are trying to convert to or from military time, there is a simple formula that you can use based on what type of time it is:
If it’s AM/PM, then it’s the same as normal. For example, 10 30 would be 8 o’clock in the morning. If you need more precision than in 30-minute intervals, then add one digit for each additional 15 minutes. For example, 12:15 would be 12 1/4 (12 and 1/4th).
Once you’ve figured out what time it is in military time, if you need to convert back to regular 24-hour clock time, then just subtract 12 or simply add 12 hours. For example, it would be 04 30 if it’s 2:30 PM.
If you are working on a base that uses military time, this part is easy because it’s just another measurement system; however, if you are working with someone who has to convert to or from military time for work, then they have to learn what AM/PM means and how each hour is broken down into ten 30-minute intervals. This takes time and practice.
How to Quickly Convert From Military Time
If you’re looking for a great alarm or wall clock that shows 24-hour time, check out these options:
See on Amazon
See on Amazon
Most watches and alarm clocks have an option to convert the time to 24-hours. Check the instruction manual for how to do so.
Military to Regular Time Conversion Chart
Below is a convenient chart that you can use to convert military times to regular times.
Military Time Zones
The military also has names and letters for time zones around the world. The world is split into 25 time zones that include all letters of the alphabet except the letter J.
- Military Time Converter
- Current Military Time Clock
- How to Quickly Convert From Military Time
- How to Quickly Convert to Military Time
- How to Quickly Convert From Military Time
- Military to Regular Time Conversion Chart
- Military Time Zones
- What Is Military Time?
- The History of Military Time
What Is Military Time?
While most people in the military use a 24-hour clock, civilians usually have to know whether a specific time is AM or PM. The 24-hour clock makes knowing the exact time efficient. If someone told you to meet at “five-o-clock” you might ask if that is in the morning or evening. With military time, they would have told you “Zero Five Hundred Hours” or “Seventeen Hundred Hours” which would clear up the confusion.
Military time is a term that specifically refers to the way time is measured in the U.S., and it’s typically used by people working on military bases, such as ones overseas.
While this type of measurement may be different, it’s really not all that complicated when you know what each number stands for and how they are applied. What is military time?
As a general rule, military time is a system of telling when it is. It’s also used to report the times of briefings,
meetings, and calls. Unlike standard time, the military time has the hours using numbers from 0-23 instead of 1-12. There are also distinct letters for the minutes of the hour.
The History of Military Time
Military time is a relatively recent concept. While most people can easily work with it, it’s going to take a little bit of time to get used to it.
In 1896, the U.S. Naval Observatory was established, and in keeping with its role as a government agency for astronomical research, its first duty was to establish a standard time that was uniform around the country and internationally. The need for this came on the heels of two major events in American history: the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. For those unfamiliar with these terms, both were conflicts where at least one side tried to end slavery. While they ended differently, they did bring forward issues regarding how slavery should be handled in the U.S.
The Mexican-American War, which was fought from 1846 to 1848, primarily over California and other territories. The war didn’t end the slave trade in the U.S., but it did bring about a move for Congress to abolish slavery altogether. The Civil War, which took place from 1861-1865, was fought over issues of states’ rights versus federal powers as well as the abolition of slavery.
The issue of time in this scenario is important because while it may not have been a major factor during the Civil War, it was certainly an issue that came up after the war ended. In fact, it was even something that was discussed during the Mexican-American War, which is considered the first of the “modern wars”. At this time, when the U.S. Navy began setting up its Military Timekeeping Service, it was originally designed for military purposes only. This included keeping track of military bases and planning operations around the world.
In 1913, President Woodrow Wilson issued an executive order to establish standard time zones in every state of America as well as those in Canada and Mexico simultaneously across all three countries. With this came an international system of time zones known as Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). It is important to know the history of military time because it is based on the same system as the universal time zones.