Time Difference: Beijing to San Francisco
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Beijing vs San Francisco timezone guide
Beijing (China) uses the Asia/Shanghai timezone at UTC+8, while San Francisco (US) uses America/Los_Angeles at UTC-8. This means San Francisco is 16 hours behind Beijing (based on standard offsets — the live difference above accounts for daylight saving time).
Best meeting times between Beijing and San Francisco
Standard 9-to-5 working hours in Beijing and San Francisco do not overlap. To meet synchronously, one side will need to start early or stay late — see the hour-by-hour planner below for the least disruptive options.
Hour-by-hour planner
| Beijing | San Francisco | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 6am | 3pm | One side outside 9-to-5 but still awake |
| 7am | 4pm | One side outside 9-to-5 but still awake |
| 8am | 5pm | Beijing early, San Francisco evening |
| 9am | 6pm | One side outside 9-to-5 but still awake |
| 10am | 7pm | One side outside 9-to-5 but still awake |
| 11am | 8pm | One side outside 9-to-5 but still awake |
| 12pm | 9pm | One side outside 9-to-5 but still awake |
| 1pm | 10pm | Beijing working hours, San Francisco late evening |
| 2pm | 11pm | Beijing working hours, San Francisco late evening |
| 3pm | 12am | Beijing working hours, San Francisco asleep |
| 4pm | 1am | Beijing working hours, San Francisco asleep |
| 5pm | 2am | Beijing evening, San Francisco asleep |
| 6pm | 3am | Beijing evening, San Francisco asleep |
| 7pm | 4am | Beijing evening, San Francisco asleep |
| 8pm | 5am | Beijing evening, San Francisco asleep |
| 9pm | 6am | Beijing evening, San Francisco early |
| 10pm | 7am | Beijing late evening, San Francisco early |
Green = standard working hours (9 AM – 5 PM). Amber = early (6–9 AM). Orange = evening (5–10 PM). Grey = asleep or late.
Daylight saving time between Beijing and San Francisco
San Francisco observes daylight saving time, but Beijing does not. That means the difference between the two cities changes seasonally — by one hour, around San Francisco's transition dates.
- Jan 1 → Mar 8Beijing is 16 hours ahead San Francisco
- Mar 8 → Nov 1Beijing is 15 hours ahead San Francisco
- Nov 1 → Jan 1Beijing is 16 hours ahead San Francisco
Distance between Beijing and San Francisco
Beijing and San Francisco are 9,503 km apart along the great-circle route. A direct flight takes roughly ~12h 11m, depending on aircraft type, winds, and routing.