Military Time Chart & 24-Hour Clock Conversion Guide

Confused by “17:00 hours”? You aren’t alone. Military time (also known as the 24-hour clock) is the international standard for timekeeping, used by militaries, hospitals, pilots, and emergency responders worldwide to avoid the AM/PM ambiguity.

In this guide, we provide a complete Military Time Conversion Chart and explain exactly how to read and write 24-hour time.

The Basics: How It Works

The 12-hour clock divides the day into two cycles:

• AM (Ante Meridiem): Midnight to Noon (00:00 - 11:59)
• PM (Post Meridiem): Noon to Midnight (12:00 - 11:59)

The 24-hour clock (Military Time) runs as a single continuous cycle from midnight to midnight (0000 to 2359).

• Rule 1: From 1:00 AM to 12:59 PM, the numbers are mostly the same (just add a leading zero).
• Rule 2: From 1:00 PM onwards, simply add 12 to the hour.
  • Example: 3:00 PM + 12 = 15:00.

Military Time Conversion Chart

Standard Time (AM/PM)	Military Time (24-Hour)	Pronunciation
Midnight (12:00 AM)	0000 or 2400	“Zero Hundred Hours”
1:00 AM	0100	“Zero One Hundred Hours”
2:00 AM	0200	“Zero Two Hundred Hours”
3:00 AM	0300	“Zero Three Hundred Hours”
4:00 AM	0400	“Zero Four Hundred Hours”
5:00 AM	0500	“Zero Five Hundred Hours”
6:00 AM	0600	“Zero Six Hundred Hours”
7:00 AM	0700	“Zero Seven Hundred Hours”
8:00 AM	0800	“Zero Eight Hundred Hours”
9:00 AM	0900	“Zero Nine Hundred Hours”
10:00 AM	1000	“Ten Hundred Hours”
11:00 AM	1100	“Eleven Hundred Hours”
Noon (12:00 PM)	1200	“Twelve Hundred Hours”
1:00 PM	1300	“Thirteen Hundred Hours”
2:00 PM	1400	“Fourteen Hundred Hours”
3:00 PM	1500	“Fifteen Hundred Hours”
4:00 PM	1600	“Sixteen Hundred Hours”
5:00 PM	1700	“Seventeen Hundred Hours”
6:00 PM	1800	“Eighteen Hundred Hours”
7:00 PM	1900	“Nineteen Hundred Hours”
8:00 PM	2000	“Twenty Hundred Hours”
9:00 PM	2100	“Twenty-One Hundred Hours”
10:00 PM	2200	“Twenty-Two Hundred Hours”
11:00 PM	2300	“Twenty-Three Hundred Hours”

Common Questions

0000 vs 2400: Which is Correct?

Technically, both represent midnight.

• 2400 is often used to denote the end of the current day.
• 0000 is used to denote the start of the new day.
• Most digital clocks simply roll over from 23:59 to 00:00.

Why Do We Use It?

The 24-hour clock removes ambiguity. “Meet me at 8:00” could mean morning or night. “Meet me at 2000” can only mean 8:00 PM. This precision is critical in healthcare (medication schedules) and aviation (flight schedules).

How to Convert Minutes to Decimals?

If you are calculating payroll, you often need to convert “8 hours and 30 minutes” into a decimal like 8.5. Use the Minutes to Decimal Hours Converter rather than writing 8.30.

Worked Overnight-Shift Example

For a shift from 21:45 to 06:15 with a 30-minute unpaid meal:

1. 21:45 to midnight is 2 hours 15 minutes.
2. Midnight to 06:15 is 6 hours 15 minutes.
3. Elapsed time is 8 hours 30 minutes.
4. After the meal, worked time is 8.00 decimal hours.

Writing 24-hour times removes AM/PM ambiguity, but the dates must still be stored. Use the overnight-shift calculator for rollover.

Input Errors to Watch For

• 930 lacks morning or evening context; use 09:30 or 21:30.
• Some forms reject 24:00 and require 00:00 on the next date.
• A time without a date cannot prove which day an overnight end belongs to.
• 0615 - 2145 is not valid elapsed-time arithmetic.
• 0.50 hour is a duration; 00:50 is a clock time.

Employees can use 24-hour notation to make handwritten records clear. Employers should store full timestamps, timezone, original value, and edits so daylight-saving changes and workweek allocation remain reviewable.