MST stands for Mountain Standard Time, a timezone at UTC-07:00 from Coordinated Universal Time. During Daylight Saving Time, it advances to MDT (UTC-06:00). The IANA identifier is America/Denver.

What time is it in MST right now?

The current time in MST (Mountain Standard Time, UTC-07:00) is 03:47 on Friday, March 6, 2026. This clock is calculated using the IANA Time Zone Database identifier America/Denver.

Is MST the same as UTC-07:00?

Yes, MST (Mountain Standard Time) is exactly UTC-07:00. To convert MST to UTC, add 07:00 hours.

Does MST observe Daylight Saving Time?

MST (Mountain Standard Time, UTC-07:00) is the standard-time variant and does observe DST. During summer, clocks advance to MDT (UTC-06:00). In 2026 for North American zones: DST starts March 8 (clocks spring forward) and ends November 1 (clocks fall back). The switch means meeting times that say "14:00 MST" in January become "14:00 MDT" in summer, at the same UTC time.

How do I convert MST time to UTC?

To convert MST (UTC-07:00) to UTC: add 07:00 to the MST time. Example: 09:00 MST = 16:00 UTC. In ISO 8601 format, include the offset explicitly: a MST timestamp looks like 2026-03-05T14:00:00-07:00. This format is unambiguous and safe for international data exchange.

MST Time: What is Mountain Standard Time? Current Time Now

Q: What countries or regions use MST?

Mountain Standard Time (MST, UTC-07:00) is used in: Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, southern Idaho, western Kansas, western Nebraska, most of Arizona (no DST). This abbreviation is not shared with other timezones, though always confirm the UTC offset (UTC-07:00) to be certain.

What Is MST?

MST stands for Mountain Standard Time, a timezone at UTC-07:00 (7 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time) from Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, southern Idaho, western Kansas, western Nebraska, most of Arizona (no DST). The IANA Time Zone Database, the authoritative global reference used by operating systems, programming languages, and web services, records this zone under the identifier America/Denver. IANA identifiers are unambiguous: America/Denver maps to exactly one timezone in the world, unlike the abbreviation MST, which is specific to this region. During Daylight Saving Time, clocks advance one hour to MDT (UTC-06:00).

Mountain Standard Time corresponds to the 105th meridian west longitude (105°W), which passes through Denver, Colorado. The US federal Uniform Time Act of 1966 governs DST observance, but individual states may exempt themselves, Arizona exercised this exemption in 1968.

Current MST Time and Date

The clock above shows the current MST time: 03:47 on Friday, March 6, 2026. It is calculated using the browser's Intl.DateTimeFormat API with the IANA identifier America/Denver, the same source your phone and laptop use for timezone conversions. The time updates every second. If you need a static reference, note that MST is always UTC-07:00 from UTC during standard time (winter). During summer, MDT applies at UTC-06:00.

MST to UTC Conversion

To convert MST to UTC: add 07:00 to the MST time. Example: 09:00 MST = 16:00 UTC. In ISO 8601 format, a MST timestamp is written as 2026-03-06T03:47:00-07:00. This format is unambiguous and machine-readable, always prefer it over abbreviation-only notation for data exchange.

Cities in the MST Timezone

Major cities that observe MST (UTC-07:00) include:

These cities all share the IANA zone identifier America/Denver (or a zone with the same current offset). Click any city link to see its live clock, DST status, and time difference from major world cities.

DST Transition Dates for MST

Mountain Standard Time observes Daylight Saving Time. During DST, clocks advance by one hour to MDT (UTC-06:00).

In the United States and Canada, DST begins on the second Sunday of March (clocks spring forward at 02:00 local) and ends on the first Sunday of November (clocks fall back at 02:00 local). For 2026: DST starts March 8, ends November 1.

During the transition period, when North America and Europe are mid-switch, the offset between MST cities and other timezones changes temporarily. The live clock on this page always reflects the correct current offset.

DST Variants: MST vs MDT

MST (UTC-07:00) is the standard time variant, observed during winter months. During Daylight Saving Time, the zone advances to MDT (UTC-06:00). In 2026, North American DST begins March 8, 2026 at 2:00 AM (clocks spring forward) and ends November 1, 2026 at 2:00 AM (clocks fall back). The distinction matters: a meeting scheduled for "14:00 MST" in January means UTC-07:00; the same description used in July almost certainly means MDT (UTC-06:00), which many people informally call "MST" year-round.

Why Timezone Abbreviations Are Ambiguous

ISO 8601, the international standard for date and time notation, does not define timezone abbreviations. IANA, which maintains the authoritative timezone database, uses geographic identifiers (America/New_York, Asia/Kolkata) rather than abbreviations. Abbreviations emerged from railway timetables and military communications in the 19th and early 20th centuries, before any international standardization effort.

The result is a patchwork. EST is used in North America for UTC-05:00 and in parts of Australia for UTC+10:00 or UTC+11:00. IST covers three different UTC offsets across three continents. CST applies to UTC-06:00 (US Central), UTC+08:00 (China), and UTC-05:00 (Cuba). Even GMT, seemingly the anchor, is used differently than UTC: GMT is a timezone designation specific to the UK and West Africa, while UTC is the mathematical standard maintained by atomic clocks. They share the same offset (UTC+00:00) but are not interchangeable in formal contexts.

Best practice: always write the numeric offset alongside the abbreviation (MST (UTC-07:00)) or use ISO 8601 format for machine-readable timestamps. For the IANA identifier, use America/Denver.

Converting MST to Major World Timezones

Current conversions from MST (03:47) to other major timezones:

New York (EST/EDT): 05:47 (UTC-05:00)
London (GMT/BST): 10:47 (UTC+00:00)
Dubai (GST): 14:47 (UTC+04:00)
India (IST): 16:17 (UTC+05:30)
Singapore (SGT): 18:47 (UTC+08:00)
Tokyo (JST): 19:47 (UTC+09:00)
Sydney (AEST/AEDT): 21:47 (UTC+11:00)