Pacific Standard Time is commonly described as UTC-8. PST is the standard-time abbreviation. America/Los_Angeles uses PDT, UTC-7, during the daylight-saving period.

Use the location when it is available

For code and stored preferences, prefer America/Los_Angeles over an abbreviation or a bare offset. An IANA timezone carries the historical and daylight-saving rules for a region. An offset tells you only the difference from UTC at one moment.

Convert an epoch value

A Unix timestamp is already an instant. To show it in this timezone, keep the numeric value unchanged and format it with the selected IANA name. The clock display may change; the event does not.

const date = new Date(1700000000 * 1000);

const text = new Intl.DateTimeFormat("en-US", {
  dateStyle: "medium",
  timeStyle: "medium",
  timeZone: "America/Los_Angeles",
}).format(date);

Scheduling note

When a meeting or job is defined by local wall-clock time, store the IANA timezone with the schedule. When it is a one-time event, store the resulting UTC instant or Unix timestamp. That distinction keeps daylight-saving changes from becoming surprise reschedules.

Timezone ConverterEpoch to DateDate to EpochUTC Time

Frequent questions:

Q: How do I convert epoch to PST?
A: Paste the epoch timestamp into the converter and choose America/Los_Angeles. The displayed result is PST in winter and PDT in summer, matching real Pacific Time rules for that date.
Q: Is PST always UTC-8?
A: PST is UTC-8, but Pacific Time switches to PDT (UTC-7) during daylight saving time. Use America/Los_Angeles instead of a fixed PST offset when converting real timestamps.
Q: What timezone should I use for epoch to California time?
A: Use America/Los_Angeles. It covers Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and most California Pacific Time conversions with the correct DST rule.