Military Time Chart

We know the feeling when you’re at the hospital desk, or airport gate, staring at the schedule with a 24-hour time format and wondering, “Is 1600, AM or PM?” You’re not alone. If your job, travel, mission details or a patient’s care relies on military time, one small mistake can ruin your day. Why live with that stress? You can master the 24-hour clock using one simple tool.

Military Time Chart is your go-to resource for quick 12-hour and 24-hour comparisons. We offer an instant military time converter and printable charts for an easy learning process. In seconds, you’ll know that 17:30 means 5:30 PM without guessing or mix-ups and only reliable precision.

Military Time Chart

What Is Military Time & The 24-Hour Clock?

Military time chart showing 12-hour and 24-hour clock comparison

Military time is also known as 24-hour clock or astronomical time. It’s a timekeeping system that operates from midnight (0000 hours) to the next midnight (2400 hours). Military time does not use the standard 12-hour format, and with this it removes the need for “AM” or “PM”. Each hour of the day is represented by a unique number between 00 and 23, making it the most precise and universal way to tell time. For example:

  • 9:00 PM is written as 21:00 hours.
  • 01:00 AM becomes 01:00 hours.
  • Midnight can appear as 00:00 or 24:00, depending on the context.

The 24-hour system is based on the ISO 8601 standard that keeps the world in sync. Military, hospitals, airlines, and transport systems use military time. This helps them maintain their connection and cooperate without any difficulty.


Easy Military Time Chart

This military time chart tells you how standard 12-hour AM and PM times convert into the 24-hour format. Download and print this army time chart as it’s one of the quickest ways to grasp the 24-hour system.

STANDARD TIME

MILITARY TIME

PRONUNCIATION

12:00 AM (Midnight)

0000

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

12:00 PM (Noon)

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

Use our 24hr clock chart to convert military time to standard time and back again without delay.

Download Military Time Chart

Minute by Minute Military Time Chart

The minute-by-minute military time charts we provide give you a full 60-minute conversion table for every hour of the day. Each hour is divided into a complete military hour chart so you can check minutes in an instant. Tap on any time (like 0600 or 1800) to see detailed conversions and download its chart as a printable PDF. Each downloadable sheet also doubles as a military time in minutes chart.

0000 military time showing midnight at the start of the day on a clock

0000 Military Time

Learn how 0000 military time means 12:00 AM, how to pronounce it, and download the full minute-by-minute chart.

0600 military time showing sixth hour of the day on a clock

0600 Military Time

Understand how 0600 military time converts to 6:00 AM, including pronunciation rules and a printable minute chart.

1200 military time showing noon/half day on a clock

1200 Military Time

See why 1200 military time means noon (12:00 PM), how it’s spoken, and get the complete minute-by-minute chart.

1800 military time displayed on a clock

1800 Military Time

Learn how 1800 military time converts to 6:00 PM, with pronunciation examples and a downloadable minute chart.

Looking for every hour? View the complete list of all 24 military time hour charts here.

Military Time Converter

Military time chart showing 12-hour and 24-hour clock comparison

This is the perfect tool for quick military hours conversion with zero guesswork and without the need of a chart. Our military time converter lets you switch between AM/PM and 24-hour formats. Enter any time, and you’ll see the correct standard time to military time conversion right away. It’s designed to give you precise, accurate results right away.


How to Read Military Time

You need to understand that time in military time is expressed using four figures (HHMM). The first two digits tell the hour, and the last two digits represent the minutes. The 24-hour cycle begins at 0000 (midnight) and runs until 2359. Standard time 12:00 AM is equal to 0000 also known as midnight and “Zero Hundred Hours”. 01:00 PM is equal to 1300 which is pronounced “Thirteen Hundred Hours”.

To read military time, just remember this:

  • Numbers from 0001 to 1159 are for morning (AM).
  • Numbers from 1200 to 2359 are for afternoon and night (PM).

Examples:

  • 0900 → 9:00 AM
  • 1430 → 2:30 PM
  • 2300 → 11:00 PM
How to read military time format explained visually

Tip: Switch your phone or watch to 24-hour mode for a week. It’s the easiest way to master 24 hour clock time conversion instantly.


How to Speak Military Time

When we speak military time, each hour is pronounced as a number pair and minutes are read as they appear. For times before 10:00 AM, always pronounce the leading zero to avoid confusion. For Example: 0700 is “Zero Seven Hundred Hours”, not “Seven hundred hours.”

Reading Full Hours: For any time exactly on the hour, read the hour followed by “Hundred Hours.”

  • 0900 → “Zero Nine Hundred Hours”
  • 1400 → “Fourteen Hundred Hours”

Reading Times with Minutes: If time includes minutes other than “00” in the last two digits, then you read all four digits as they appear by separating the hour from minutes. You never say “Hundred” for times that have minutes.

  • 0530 → “Zero Five Thirty Hours”
  • 1845 → “Eighteen Forty-Five Hours”
  • 2301 → “Twenty-Three Zero One hours”
How to pronounce military time correctly explained with rules

The start of the day (0000) is pronounced as “Zero Zero Hundred Hours,” but in casual conversation, people refer to it as “midnight”.

For Reference: All military, aviation, and computing operations worldwide use Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). UTC is also referred to as Zulu Time or Z time. This standard keeps everyone in sync around the world, no matter what local time zone they’re in.


How to Write Military Time

Writing military time is straightforward after you understand the format. You should always write four digits without a colon and AM/PM when writing military time. The first two digits represent hours, while the last two represent minutes.

Morning Times:

For any time before 10 AM, the hours stay the same, but you must add a leading zero for single-digit hours (1 through 9)

  • 7:00 AM → 0700
  • 0:30 AM → 0030

Afternoon and Evening Times:

To convert any time in the afternoon or evening, simply add 12 to the hour.

  • 3:45 PM → 1545
  • 8:10 PM → 2010
How to write military time using four-digit format with rules

Where and Why People Use Military Time

Industries that use military time including military aviation and hospitals

The military time clock helps in solving the issues of time zones, professions, and systems around the world. In key areas where teamwork matters, a one-hour error can lead to serious problems or even disasters. Many global industries rely on the military hour clock to prevent scheduling errors. 24-hour clock format helps connect the world together and keeps global industries running. Some key areas where the military clock plays an essential role.

Military & Defense

In the field, time isn’t just a number, it’s mission-critical. The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and NATO allies all use the 24-hour clock to record orders, schedules, and mission logs. Military time ensures clear communication and smooth operations, avoiding errors and time conflicts.

Aviation & Air Travel

All air travel worldwide operates using the 24-hour system, often referred to as the international clock. This applies to international flight schedules, crew operations, and air traffic coordination. This time format follows the ISO 8601 standard, so airlines, airports, and control systems worldwide use it.

Healthcare & Hospitals

Hospitals use military time clocks for clear management of medication schedules, surgeries, and staff rotations. This global clock helps avoid treatment mistakes. It also keeps electronic health records (EHR) consistent across departments and shifts which makes shifts fast and effortless.

Transportation & Logistics

In logistics, timing is the foundation of efficiency. From trains and buses to freighters and delivery fleets, timing controls everything. Military time keeps departure logs, cargo tracking, and GPS systems synchronized. This helps in reduced mistakes and improving on-time performance across regions.

Technology & Computing

Digital systems rely on a global clock to ensure accurate timekeeping across servers and networks. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), also known as Zulu time in aviation, defense, and computing, keeps everything in sync. This includes operating systems and NIST’s official U.S. time servers.

Emergency Services & Law Enforcement

Police, EMTs, and fire departments depend on the 24-hour clock because time is a critical factor in saving lives. They use this format to document dispatch and response activities. Precise timestamps are vital in emergencies. This format ensures accurate records for investigations and enables quick, effective coordination.

Did You Know?

The military and aviation system follows the NATO phonetic communication standard, which modifies how both numbers and letters are pronounced over radios and control channels. Numbers are spoken with clarity words, such as:

  • 0 → “Zee-ro”
  • 2 → “Too”
  • 4 → “Fower”
  • 5 → “Fife”
  • 9 → “Niner”

This pronunciation standard helps prevent errors in noisy or high-stress environments like air traffic control or field operations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, they both work on the same system. Both formats follow a complete 24 hour cycle from 000 to 2359 entirely skipping AM and PM.

The military uses 24-hour time to avoid confusion between morning and evening hours. It guarantees clear communication and perfect coordination during missions, travel, and global operations.

Both times represent midnight, but they define the transition in different ways. 0000 represents the start of a new day and 2400 means the end of the day. See how time zones and offsets affect regions explained in detail here.

The 24-hour format is common across most countries of Europe, Asia, and South America for daily use. The USA and Canada primarily use the 12-hour format, while the 24-hour format is common in fields such as aviation and medicine.

It’s quite simple. For PM hours (after noon), add 12 to the hour and remove the colon (e.g., 3:00 PM becomes 1500). For AM hours (morning), the time stays the same, but you must add a leading zero to non-zero digit hours (e.g., 7:30 AM becomes 0730).

Conclusion

The military time chart makes reading and converting time easy by removing AM/PM confusion from your life. Use our converter tool to convert standard time to military time on the go. For physical help, place our military time chart printables wherever you live to always stay on time.

No matter if you’re learning, working, or traveling, our guide makes this time system easy to understand. Master the 24-hour clock now to ensure you never miss a flight, meeting, or operation time again.