Difference Between EST and MST

The main difference between EST and MST is that EST is the time along the East Coast of North America, while MST is the North American time zone, also known as the Mountain Time Zone (MTZ).

EST vs. MST

The abbreviation for EST is Eastern Standard Time, while MST stands for Mountain Standard Time. The time zone in the Western Hemisphere is called the Eastern Time Zone (ET), and the time along the East Coast of North America is known as Eastern Standard Time (EST). The North American time zone is known as the Mountain Time Zone (MTZ). In the United States and Canada, this is called Mountain Standard Time (MST) or Mountain Time (MT).

EST is UTC-4 or UTC-5, while MST is UTC-7 or UTC-6. EST is the period during winter. And during the summer, the time zone is known as Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). MST is Standard Time and the period during the shorter days of fall and winter. In daylight saving time, it is known as Mountain Daylight Time (MDT). EST is 2 hours before MST; on the other hand, MST is two hours after EST.

The most convenient time at EST for meetings and the like is between 11:00 am and 6:00 pm. At MST, the usual working hours are between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. Regarding the Pacific time zone, MST is one hour ahead. When talking about the central time zone, MST is one hour behind. The states that observe EST are New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The states that follow the MST are the states of Texas, Kansas, Utah and Arizona.

Comparison chart

What is this?

EST is the time zone followed in North America. It is 5 hours ahead of Greenwich Observatory or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). As the earth rotates on its axis around the sun, different places have different time zones. Due to the time zone difference, it is night at one end of the world, during the day at another. The time zone of the earth is delimited by different longitudinal lines. These lines include uniform standards or local time.

Therefore, the total central time zones are 24, which are based on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Time zones adjust with the change of seasons. “Standard time” becomes the “summer time” zone. In summer, it switches to the ‘summer’ zone, which is standard time plus one hour.

EST is used in the following countries: Bahamas, Canada, Haiti, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States. The main city in EST time zone is New York City of the US with other main cities eg Toronto, Montreal, Brooklyn, Borough of Queens. EST is known to be one of the standard time zones. But for daylight saving time in some places during the summer, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is observed.

States/Regions Observing EST

• Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia
• Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey
• Ohio
• Rhode Island
• Virginia
• South Carolina
• Maryland
• New Hampshire
• North Carolina
• Pennsylvania
• Vermont
• West Virginia
• Canadian provinces
• Territories of Ontario, Quebec, Nunavut and Iqaluit
• Countries of Mexico, Panama
• Various South American countries

What is MST?

MST is known to be the North American time zone. It is also known as Mountain Time Zone (MTZ). In the United States and Canada, it is known as Mountain Time (MT) or (MST). That’s 7 hours back to standard time, ie North American Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). It is used in the following countries: Canada, United States, Mexico. MST is UTC-7 or UTC-6.

The MST is meanwhile observing the 105th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. At MST, the usual working hours are between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. The largest city that includes the MST time zone is Ciudad Juárez of Mexico. It has a population of nearly 1.512 million people. Other major cities in this area include Calgary, Phoenix, Chihuahua, and Edmonton.

MST is the standard time zone that adjusts the time one hour forward for daylight saving time during the summer and is known as Mountain Daylight Time (MDT). The annual start and end of MST are on the same date and time. Initially, clocks are set back one hour at 2:00 (2:00 am) local time. In the end, the clocks were set one hour earlier at 2:00 (2:00 am) local time.

States / Regions that observe MST

• Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Northwest Territories
• Phoenix
• Arizona
• states of colorado
• New Mexico
• Wyoming
• Utah
• Idaho
• Oregon
• North Dakota
• Nebraska
• Mountain
• Texas
• Kansas
• Nevada

Key differences

1. EST is UTC-4 or UTC-5; on the other hand, MST is UTC-7 or UTC-6.
2. EST stands for Eastern Standard Time; on the other hand, MST stands for Mountain Standard Time.
3. EST corresponds to the mean solar time of the 75th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory; on the contrary, the MST agrees with the mean solar time of the 105th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory.
4. The time along the East Coast of North America is known as Eastern Standard Time (EST), while the North American time zone (MTZ Mountain Time Zone) is known as Mountain Standard Time (MST). in the United States and Canada.
5. EST is the period during winter; on the contrary, MST is in the standard time and the period during the shorter days of autumn and winter.
6. EST is the official time in the United States since the capital of the United States is in EST; conversely, MST is the time for the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories.
7. The states that observe EST are New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, while the states that follow the MST are the states of Texas, Kansas, Utah, and Arizona.
8. EST is 2 hours before MST; conversely, MST is two hours after EST.
9. Regarding the Pacific time zone, EST is one hour ahead of it; on the other hand, when talking about central time zone, MST is one hour behind.

Final Thought

EST (Eastern Standard Time) and MST (Mountain Standard Time) are the two different time zones that are followed by different regions of the world.