Military time converter and 24-hour chart
For PM times add 12 to the hour, except 12 PM, which stays 1200. For AM times keep the hour, except 12 AM, which becomes 0000. Write four digits without a colon: 3:45 PM is 1545 and 7:05 AM is 0705.
Inputs used by this calculator
Military Time Converter uses the fields below. The starting values reproduce the page example; replace them with values from the same units and time period before using the result.
| Input | Starting example | Accepted value | How it is used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Convert | 12-hour time to military time | 12-hour time to military time · Military time to 12-hour time | Chooses which Military Time Converter method or unknown the engine evaluates. |
| Hour | 3 | 1 to 12 | Supplies the hour quantity used by the published equation or result breakdown. |
| Minutes | 45 | 0 to 59 | Supplies the minutes quantity used by the published equation or result breakdown. |
| AM or PM | PM (noon to before midnight) | AM (midnight to before noon) · PM (noon to before midnight) | Supplies the am or pm quantity used by the published equation or result breakdown. |
| Military time | 1545 | Text in the format shown | Supplies the military time quantity used by the published equation or result breakdown. |
What military time is
Military time numbers the hours of the day from 00 to 23, so there is no need for AM or PM. It is written with four digits and usually no colon: 0600 is 6 in the morning and 1800 is 6 in the evening. Hospitals, police and fire departments, airlines and the armed forces use it because it removes the most common misreading of a time.
Converting 12-hour time to military time
Morning times keep their hour and gain a leading zero when needed. Afternoon and evening times add 12 to the hour. The two exceptions are the twelve o'clock hours: 12 AM is 00 and 12 PM stays 12.
- Before noon: keep the hour, add a leading zero (9:30 AM → 0930).
- 12 AM hour: use 00 (12:15 AM → 0015).
- 12 PM hour: keep 12 (12:40 PM → 1240).
- Afternoon and evening: add 12 (3:45 PM → 1545).
Converting military time back
Subtract 12 from hours 13 to 23 and add PM. Hours 01 to 11 are AM, 12 is noon hour and PM, and 00 is the midnight hour and AM. So 1545 is 3:45 PM, 0015 is 12:15 AM and 2200 is 10:00 PM.
Noon, midnight and 2400
NIST notes that “12 a.m.” and “12 p.m.” are ambiguous and suggests the 24-hour clock for contracts and similar documents. In 24-hour notation 0000 is midnight at the start of a day and 2400 is midnight at the end of it, which makes it clear which day a deadline belongs to.
How to say it out loud
Times are spoken as two pairs of digits followed by “hours”: 1545 is “fifteen forty-five hours”. On the hour, say “hundred”: 0800 is “zero eight hundred hours”. A leading zero is spoken as “zero”, and some speakers say “oh” in informal use.
Military time and time zones
Converting the format does not change the time zone. Military and aviation schedules are often written in UTC, marked with a Z for “Zulu”. To compare a Zulu time with local time, first convert time zones, then convert the format.
24-hour military time chart
| 12-hour time | Military time | 24-hour clock |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 AM | 0100 | 01:00 |
| 2:00 AM | 0200 | 02:00 |
| 3:00 AM | 0300 | 03:00 |
| 4:00 AM | 0400 | 04:00 |
| 5:00 AM | 0500 | 05:00 |
| 6:00 AM | 0600 | 06:00 |
| 7:00 AM | 0700 | 07:00 |
| 8:00 AM | 0800 | 08:00 |
| 9:00 AM | 0900 | 09:00 |
| 10:00 AM | 1000 | 10:00 |
| 11:00 AM | 1100 | 11:00 |
| 12:00 PM (noon) | 1200 | 12:00 |
| 1:00 PM | 1300 | 13:00 |
| 2:00 PM | 1400 | 14:00 |
| 3:00 PM | 1500 | 15:00 |
| 4:00 PM | 1600 | 16:00 |
| 5:00 PM | 1700 | 17:00 |
| 6:00 PM | 1800 | 18:00 |
| 7:00 PM | 1900 | 19:00 |
| 8:00 PM | 2000 | 20:00 |
| 9:00 PM | 2100 | 21:00 |
| 10:00 PM | 2200 | 22:00 |
| 11:00 PM | 2300 | 23:00 |
| 12:00 AM (midnight) | 0000 | 00:00 |
Frequently asked questions
What is 3 PM in military time?
1500. Add 12 to any PM hour from 1 to 11.
What is 12 AM in military time?
0000. The midnight hour starts the day at 00, so 12:30 AM is 0030.
What is 12 PM in military time?
1200. Noon keeps the number 12 and does not add 12.
Is 2400 a valid time?
It marks midnight at the end of a day. The next minute is 0001 of the following day.
Does military time use a colon?
Usually not. Military style writes four digits, such as 1545. Civilian 24-hour clocks often show 15:45; both mean the same time.
How do I read 0730?
7:30 AM, spoken “zero seven thirty hours”.
Is military time the same as Zulu time?
No. Military time is the 24-hour format; Zulu means the time is given in UTC.
What to keep in mind
Military time is a clock format, not a time zone. Aviation and the military often pair it with UTC (Zulu time), which needs a separate time-zone conversion.
Results are rounded for display in US format, with money in dollars and cents; CSV exports keep full calculation precision. This is a calculation summary, not an official certificate.