Quick Conversion Rules
AM to Military: Add leading zero if needed (9 AM → 0900)
PM to Military: Add 12 to the hour (3 PM → 1500)
Military to PM: Subtract 12 from hours 13-23 (1700 → 5 PM)
Standard Time to Military Time Conversion
Converting AM Times
For morning hours (AM):
- Keep the hour number
- Add leading zero if under 10
- 12:00 AM = 0000 (midnight)
Examples:
- 7:30 AM → 0730
- 10:15 AM → 1015
- 12:00 AM → 0000
Converting PM Times
For afternoon/evening (PM):
- Add 12 to the hour
- 12:00 PM stays as 1200
Examples:
- 1:00 PM → 1 + 12 = 1300
- 5:45 PM → 5 + 12 = 1745
- 11:30 PM → 11 + 12 = 2330
Conversion Formula: Standard to Military
PM Hour + 12 = Military Hour
Example: 4 PM → 4 + 12 = 16 → 1600
Military Time to Standard Time Conversion
Conversion Formula: Military to Standard
Military Hour - 12 = PM Hour (for hours 13-23)
Example: 1900 → 19 - 12 = 7 → 7:00 PM
Complete Military Time Conversion Chart
AM Hours (0000-1159)
| Standard | Military | Standard | Military |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 0000 | 6:00 AM | 0600 |
| 1:00 AM | 0100 | 7:00 AM | 0700 |
| 2:00 AM | 0200 | 8:00 AM | 0800 |
| 3:00 AM | 0300 | 9:00 AM | 0900 |
| 4:00 AM | 0400 | 10:00 AM | 1000 |
| 5:00 AM | 0500 | 11:00 AM | 1100 |
PM Hours (1200-2359)
| Standard | Military | Standard | Military |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 PM | 1200 | 6:00 PM | 1800 |
| 1:00 PM | 1300 | 7:00 PM | 1900 |
| 2:00 PM | 1400 | 8:00 PM | 2000 |
| 3:00 PM | 1500 | 9:00 PM | 2100 |
| 4:00 PM | 1600 | 10:00 PM | 2200 |
| 5:00 PM | 1700 | 11:00 PM | 2300 |
Military Time Conversion Tips
- Quick Mental Math: For PM hours, think of the "1" prefix as "+10" and the second digit tells you how many hours past noon
- Memorize Key Times: 1200 (noon), 1700 (5 PM), 2100 (9 PM)
- Practice Daily: Set your phone or watch to 24-hour format
- Use Landmarks: 1800 = dinner time (6 PM), 0600 = wake up (6 AM)