IANA tz database · zone identifier

America/El_Salvador

The IANA tz database identifier for Central Standard Time in El Salvador. Store this string — not the abbreviation, not the offset — and your timestamps stay correct forever.

UTC-06:00Abbreviation CSTNo DST — never observed
Time in America/El_Salvador☀ Daylight
17:00:33
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Offset
UTC-06:00
Abbreviation
CST
DST
No DST

Current offset

UTC-06:00

same year-round

Abbreviation

CST

used year-round

DST behaviour

Never

has never observed daylight saving

Country

🇸🇻 El Salvador

ISO 3166: SV · view country page →

Using this identifier

The string to put in your code.

America/El_Salvador is the identifier to use in code and config for this region. Every modern language, database, and OS resolves it through the same tz database, so the examples here behave identically everywhere.

Avoid storing CST or -06:00 — abbreviations are ambiguous and fixed offsets can't follow rule changes.

// format a date in this zone
new Intl.DateTimeFormat('en-US', {
timeZone: 'America/El_Salvador',
dateStyle: 'full', timeStyle: 'long'
}).format(new Date());

Offset & DST behaviour

One offset,
37 years.

America/El_Salvador has kept UTC-06:00 year-round since 24 September 1988 — no daylight saving and no offset changes on record since. It is among the most stable identifiers in the database.

Every offset this zone has kept

−05:56:48UTC-06:00 · UNCHANGED 24 September 1988 NOW

Keeping this offset since

24 September 1988

Next transition

None scheduled

no DST rules exist for this zone

Safe to assume

Local = UTC − 6h, always

…but store the identifier anyway

Technical record

The database entry, in full.

source: IANA tz database

IdentifierAmerica/El_Salvador
ISO country codeSV🇸🇻 El Salvador
Reference coordinates13.70°N, 89.20°Wtz database reference point
Standard offsetUTC-06:00abbreviation CST
Daylight offset—daylight saving has never been observed

Where it applies

All of El Salvador, one clock.

Looking for travel-friendly info? See San Salvador or Central Standard Time.

🇸🇻
El Salvador

6M people, one time zone. The whole country resolves to America/El_Salvador.

Country page →
🇸🇻 San Salvador
17:00
17:00:33 · CST
pop. 331KCST

Related identifiers

Nearby in the database.

Same zone group · Central Standard Time

other identifiers keeping CST

Same offset · UTC-06:00

other zones keeping this offset right now

Frequently asked questions

Answers specific to this identifier — generated from the database record. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].

What UTC offset is America/El_Salvador?
America/El_Salvador is UTC-06:00, year-round. The offset never changes because the zone does not observe daylight saving time.
Does America/El_Salvador observe daylight saving time?
No. America/El_Salvador has never observed DST — it has kept UTC-06:00 continuously since 24 September 1988.
Which country uses America/El_Salvador?
El Salvador. The identifier covers the whole country.
Is America/El_Salvador the same as CST?
America/El_Salvador is one of the IANA zones that keeps Central Standard Time (CST). Use America/El_Salvador in software — CST is a human-friendly label, not a valid identifier.

Free · Developer API

This zone, as JSON.

Everything on this page — offset, abbreviation, DST rules, coordinates — from one endpoint, always current with the latest tzdb release.

GET /v1/timezones Live

countries, cities, convert, DST transitions coming next.

Get your free API key →
// this identifier, resolved live
GET /v1/timezones?iana=America/El_Salvador
{
"iana": "America/El_Salvador",
"utc_offset": "-06:00",
"abbreviation": "CST",
"observes_dst": false,
"country": "SV"
}