Military Time Converter
1400 in military time is 2:00 PM, and 6:00 PM becomes 18:00. This military time converter changes standard 12-hour clock times with AM or PM into 24-hour military time, then converts military time back into regular time when you need to read it quickly. Enter a time like 7:08 with AM selected, or 23:45, choose the conversion direction, and the tool applies the same hour-mapping rules used on digital clocks, printed schedules, dispatch logs, and travel timetables. The parts that trip people up are noon, midnight, and leading zeros. 12:00 AM becomes 00:00, 12:00 PM stays 12:00, and early morning hours like 7:05 AM display as 07:05 in 24-hour format. Minutes do not change during conversion, so 2:37 PM becomes 14:37 and 05:12 becomes 5:12 AM. Type a four-digit military time with a colon, so 1745 goes in as 17:45. The chart below lists every hour and half hour from 0000 through 2330 if you want a quick reference instead of typing a time.
Quick answer
For PM times from 1:00 PM through 11:59 PM, add 12 to the hour. That is why 6:00 PM becomes 18:00 and 9:42 PM becomes 21:42.
What this tells you
- •For PM times from 1:00 PM through 11:59 PM, add 12 to the hour. That is why 6:00 PM becomes 18:00 and 9:42 PM becomes 21:42.
- •For AM times from 1:00 AM through 11:59 AM, keep the same hour and use a leading zero when needed in 24-hour format. For example, 7:08 AM becomes 07:08.
- •12:00 AM is midnight, so the hour changes from 12 to 00. 12:00 PM is noon, so the hour stays 12.
- •Minutes stay the same in both systems. Only the hour value and the AM or PM label change.
- •24-hour time runs from 00:00 through 23:59 in this tool. Hours 00 through 11 are AM times, 12 is noon, and 13 through 23 are PM times. It does not accept 24:00, so enter a 2400 as 00:00.
- •Military schedules write times without a colon, such as 1800. In 24-hour to 12-hour mode you can type 1800 or 18:00, and 24-hour results are shown with the colon, as 18:00.
How to Use
- 1Choose 12-hour to 24-hour if your starting time uses AM or PM, or choose 24-hour to 12-hour if your starting time already uses a value like 18:45 or 06:10.
- 2Type the time as H:MM or HH:MM, such as 2:05, 12:30, 00:15, or 23:45. In 24-hour to 12-hour mode a four-digit military time such as 1745 works too.
- 3If you are converting from 12-hour time, pick AM or PM from the dropdown rather than typing it into the time box. This step tells the tool whether the hour should stay the same or move into the 13 through 23 range.
- 4Click Convert to get the converted time. The result shows the matching format without changing the minutes.
- 5Use the chart below for a quick check of any hour or half hour, such as 0800, 1430, or 2100, when you do not want to type each value into the converter.
How It Works
Formula
12-hour to 24-hour:
AM hours 1 through 11 stay the same and use a leading zero when needed.
12:xx AM becomes 00:xx.
PM hours 1 through 11 add 12.
12:xx PM stays 12:xx.
24-hour to 12-hour:
00:xx becomes 12:xx AM.
01:xx through 11:xx stay the same and use AM.
12:xx stays 12:xx PM.
13:xx through 23:xx subtract 12 and use PM.This converter follows a simple rule set rather than an estimate. In the 12-hour to 24-hour direction, it reads the hour and minutes, checks that the hour is between 1 and 12, and requires an AM or PM selection. It then uses the hour modulo 12 so that 12 turns into 0, adds 12 only for PM times, and keeps the minutes unchanged. That is why 12:07 AM becomes 00:07, 7:08 AM becomes 07:08, and 7:08 PM becomes 19:08. In the 24-hour to 12-hour direction, it accepts hours from 00 through 23 and keeps the minutes as entered. Hours 00 through 11 map to AM, hour 12 maps to PM, and hours 13 through 23 subtract 12 before adding the PM label. For example, 00:30 becomes 12:30 AM, 12:30 stays 12:30 PM, and 23:45 becomes 11:45 PM. The conversion changes the hour display and period only. It does not shift time zones, dates, or durations.
Calculation note: values are processed in the order shown above, using the current input units.
Worked Examples
2:05 PM becomes 14:05
Because this is a PM time and the hour is less than 12, add 12 to the hour. 2 + 12 = 14, and the minutes stay 05. The converted result is 14:05.
7:08 AM becomes 07:08
Morning hours from 1 through 11 keep the same hour value in 24-hour time. The only formatting change is the leading zero, so 7 becomes 07 and the minutes stay 08. The result is 07:08.
12:00 AM becomes 00:00
Midnight is the special AM case. The formula turns 12 into 00 before keeping the same minutes, so 12:00 AM becomes 00:00. This is one of the most common military time checks.
12:30 PM stays 12:30
Noon does not add 12 again. In the conversion logic, 12 PM stays in the 12 o'clock hour and the minutes remain 30. That makes the correct 24-hour result 12:30.
00:15 becomes 12:15 AM
An hour value of 00 maps to midnight in 12-hour time. The converter changes the hour label to 12, keeps the minutes at 15, and marks the result as AM. The converted time is 12:15 AM.
23:45 becomes 11:45 PM
For 24-hour values above 12, subtract 12 from the hour and use PM. 23 - 12 = 11, and the minutes stay 45. The matching standard time is 11:45 PM.
Scenario: a watch that ends at 2400 on Friday
Marcus's duty roster says his watch ends at 2400 on Friday. He types 24:00 and gets the error message, because the converter only takes hours 00 through 23. Entering 00:00 returns 12:00 AM. That is the midnight between Friday and Saturday, so on a 12-hour calendar his watch ends at 12:00 AM Saturday. If the end time has to stay on Friday's line, 11:59 PM Friday is the unambiguous way to write it, which the converter turns back into 23:59.
Military Time Chart: Every Hour and Half Hour
Each full hour and half hour in four-digit military time with the regular 12-hour time this converter returns for it, plus the usual spoken form for the full hour. The last row shows what happens to 2400.
| Military time | Regular time | Half past | Regular time at :30 | Spoken on the hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0000 | 12:00 AM | 0030 | 12:30 AM | zero hundred, or midnight |
| 0100 | 1:00 AM | 0130 | 1:30 AM | zero one hundred |
| 0200 | 2:00 AM | 0230 | 2:30 AM | zero two hundred |
| 0300 | 3:00 AM | 0330 | 3:30 AM | zero three hundred |
| 0400 | 4:00 AM | 0430 | 4:30 AM | zero four hundred |
| 0500 | 5:00 AM | 0530 | 5:30 AM | zero five hundred |
| 0600 | 6:00 AM | 0630 | 6:30 AM | zero six hundred |
| 0700 | 7:00 AM | 0730 | 7:30 AM | zero seven hundred |
| 0800 | 8:00 AM | 0830 | 8:30 AM | zero eight hundred |
| 0900 | 9:00 AM | 0930 | 9:30 AM | zero nine hundred |
| 1000 | 10:00 AM | 1030 | 10:30 AM | ten hundred |
| 1100 | 11:00 AM | 1130 | 11:30 AM | eleven hundred |
| 1200 | 12:00 PM | 1230 | 12:30 PM | twelve hundred, or noon |
| 1300 | 1:00 PM | 1330 | 1:30 PM | thirteen hundred |
| 1400 | 2:00 PM | 1430 | 2:30 PM | fourteen hundred |
| 1500 | 3:00 PM | 1530 | 3:30 PM | fifteen hundred |
| 1600 | 4:00 PM | 1630 | 4:30 PM | sixteen hundred |
| 1700 | 5:00 PM | 1730 | 5:30 PM | seventeen hundred |
| 1800 | 6:00 PM | 1830 | 6:30 PM | eighteen hundred |
| 1900 | 7:00 PM | 1930 | 7:30 PM | nineteen hundred |
| 2000 | 8:00 PM | 2030 | 8:30 PM | twenty hundred |
| 2100 | 9:00 PM | 2130 | 9:30 PM | twenty-one hundred |
| 2200 | 10:00 PM | 2230 | 10:30 PM | twenty-two hundred |
| 2300 | 11:00 PM | 2330 | 11:30 PM | twenty-three hundred |
| 2400 | Error, enter 00:00 for 12:00 AM | none | none | twenty-four hundred, end of day |
Every regular time was computed by typing the military time with a colon (00:00, 00:30, and so on) into this converter's 24-hour to 12-hour mode, then running each result back through the 12-hour to 24-hour mode with its AM or PM to confirm it returns the starting value. Military writing drops the colon, the ISO 8601 basic format. The converter reads that form too (1400) as well as the extended format with the colon (14:00). 24:00 returns an error because the tool keeps hours to 00 through 23, the range RFC 3339 sets for internet timestamps. The spoken forms are the usual US military convention, not tool output, and Army Regulation 25-50 leaves the word hours off a written military time.
The 24-hour clock in ISO 8601, and how military use differs
Military time is the 24-hour clock written one particular way. ISO 8601, the international standard for dates and times, counts the day in hours from 00 to 23 and allows two layouts for the time of day: an extended format with a colon, 14:30, and a basic format without one, 1430. US military writing uses the basic layout, always four digits with the leading zero. This converter reads and prints the extended layout, so 1430 goes in as 14:30. The hour count and the minutes are identical in both.
The services do not even agree on midnight. Army Regulation 25-50, which governs Army correspondence, writes military time as a group of four digits from 0001 to 2400, uses it in memorandums while letters keep civilian time, and says the word hours is not used with it. The Department of the Navy Correspondence Manual, SECNAV M-5216.5, now runs from 0000 to 2359, where its older editions used 0001 to 2400. So 2400 on an Army memo and 0000 on a Navy one can name the same moment, written against different dates.
Speech is where military and civilian 24-hour use split most. By common US military practice the whole hour takes hundred, so 1400 is fourteen hundred and 0600 is zero six hundred, and many speakers add hours out loud even though the Army's writing rule leaves the word off the page. Times with minutes are said as two numbers, so 1430 is fourteen thirty. Civil aviation does it differently. FAA Order JO 7110.65, which sets US air traffic control procedures, has controllers state time as separate digits in UTC, so 1915 is one niner one five, and it allows the word ZULU to mark UTC. That is the same Z you see in a time like 1400Z.
Midnight is the one value this tool treats strictly. The NIST Time and Frequency Division calls 12 a.m. and 12 p.m. ambiguous and suggests 0000 for midnight at the start of a day and 2400 for midnight at its end, or 11:59 p.m. or 12:01 a.m. with a date when the boundary matters. Internet timestamps allow only the first. RFC 3339, the internet profile of ISO 8601, notes that ISO 8601 permits an hour of 24 but keeps its own hours to 00 through 23. This converter follows the software rule. Enter 00:00 and it returns 12:00 AM, the common US reading, while 24:00 returns an error, so convert a 2400 as 00:00 and move the date forward one day.
Common mistakes
- Adding 12 to 12 PM. Noon stays in the 12 o'clock hour, so 12:20 PM becomes 12:20, not 24:20.
- Leaving 12 AM as 12 in 24-hour time. Midnight must switch to 00, so 12:05 AM becomes 00:05.
- Changing the minutes during conversion. The minutes stay the same, so 9:47 PM becomes 21:47 and 06:12 becomes 6:12 AM.
- Subtracting 12 from every 24-hour time. Only hours 13 through 23 need that step, while 00, 01 through 11, and 12 follow different rules.
- Forgetting the leading zero on early 24-hour times. If the hour is under 10, the digital 24-hour format shows two digits such as 03:30 or 07:08.
- Typing a zone letter after a military time. 1745Z returns an error because the converter does not handle time zones. Enter 1745 or 17:45 and it returns 5:45 PM, then convert the zone separately.
- Typing AM or PM into the time box. In 12-hour to 24-hour mode, enter 7:08 and pick PM from the dropdown. Typed as 7:08 PM, the time returns an error.
- Typing 2400 into a converter that expects 00:00 through 23:59. Use 00:00 for midnight in this tool, and read the 12:00 AM result as the start of the next day.
- Treating a time with a zone letter as local. 1400Z is 14:00 in UTC, and the converter rejects the Z. Convert the zone first, then enter the local 24-hour time here.
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