Military Time Chart: The Complete Conversion and How to Read It Instantly
Reviewed by Jerry Croteau, Founder & Editor
Table of Contents
Military time — the 24-hour clock — eliminates AM/PM confusion by running the clock continuously from 0000 (midnight) to 2359 (one minute before the next midnight). Once you learn two rules, you can convert any time in either direction without a calculator.
Our handles any conversion instantly. Here is the complete chart and the shortcut to read it in your head.
The two conversion rules
AM times (midnight to 11:59 AM)
Remove the colon and add a leading zero if needed. No math required.
- 12:00 AM (midnight) = 0000
- 7:30 AM = 0730
- 11:45 AM = 1145
PM times (12:00 PM to 11:59 PM)
Add 12 to the hour. Keep the minutes the same.
- 12:00 PM (noon) = 1200
- 1:00 PM = 1300 (1 + 12)
- 6:30 PM = 1830 (6 + 12 = 18)
- 11:59 PM = 2359 (11 + 12 = 23)
Converting back: military to standard
If the first two digits are 12 or less: read as AM.
If the first two digits are 13 or more: subtract 12, add PM.
- 0745: 07 is under 13 → 7:45 AM
- 1400: 14 - 12 = 2 → 2:00 PM
- 2130: 21 - 12 = 9 → 9:30 PM
Complete chart
| Standard | Military | Standard | Military |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 0000 | 12:00 PM | 1200 |
| 1:00 AM | 0100 | 1:00 PM | 1300 |
| 2:00 AM | 0200 | 2:00 PM | 1400 |
| 3:00 AM | 0300 | 3:00 PM | 1500 |
| 4:00 AM | 0400 | 4:00 PM | 1600 |
| 5:00 AM | 0500 | 5:00 PM | 1700 |
| 6:00 AM | 0600 | 6:00 PM | 1800 |
| 7:00 AM | 0700 | 7:00 PM | 1900 |
| 8:00 AM | 0800 | 8:00 PM | 2000 |
| 9:00 AM | 0900 | 9:00 PM | 2100 |
| 10:00 AM | 1000 | 10:00 PM | 2200 |
| 11:00 AM | 1100 | 11:00 PM | 2300 |
The mental shortcut
Any time 1300 or above: subtract 1200 and add PM.
1400 - 1200 = 200 = 2:00 PM. 1845 - 1200 = 645 = 6:45 PM. 2100 - 1200 = 900 = 9:00 PM.
Under 1300: read as AM with the leading zeros removed. 0930 = 9:30 AM.
How it is spoken
Each digit pair is spoken separately. 0900 = "zero nine hundred." 1400 = "fourteen hundred." 1530 = "fifteen thirty." 0015 = "zero zero fifteen." Minutes are always two digits: 1305 = "thirteen oh five."
Why it matters
The 12-hour clock has an inherent ambiguity — 12:00 AM is midnight (start of day) and 12:00 PM is noon, which is counterintuitive. Many scheduling errors, missed flights, and medical mistakes trace to this. The 24-hour clock eliminates the ambiguity completely: 0000 is midnight, 1200 is noon, every timestamp is unique within a 24-hour period.
Convert any time with the or use the time calculator for duration and elapsed time in either format.
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