ISO 8601 - Times

Times

hh:mm:ss or hhmmss
hh:mm or hhmm
hh

ISO 8601 uses the 24-hour clock system. The basic format is and the extended format is ::.

  • refers to a zero-padded hour between 00 and 24 (where 24 is only used to notate midnight at the end of a calendar day).
  • refers to a zero-padded minute between 00 and 59.
  • refers to a zero-padded second between 00 and 60 (where 60 is only used to notate an added leap second).

So a time might appear as either "134730" in the basic format or "13:47:30" in the extended format.

It is also acceptable to omit lower order time elements for reduced accuracy: :, and are all used. (The use of alone is considered basic format.)

Midnight is a special case and can be referred to as both "00:00" and "24:00". The notation "00:00" is used at the beginning of a calendar day and is the more frequently used. At the end of a day use "24:00". Note that "2007-04-05T24:00" is the same instant as "2007-04-06T00:00" (see Combined date and time representations below).

Decimal fractions may also be added to any of the three time elements. A decimal mark, either a comma or a dot (without any preference as stated in resolution 10 of the 22nd General Conference CGPM in 2003, but with a preference for a comma according to ISO 8601:2004) is used as a separator between the time element and its fraction. A fraction may only be added to the lowest order time element in the representation. To denote "14 hours, 30 and one half minutes", do not include a seconds figure. Represent it as "14:30,5", "1430,5", "14:30.5", or "1430.5". There is no limit on the number of decimal places for the decimal fraction. However, the number of decimal places needs to be agreed to by the communicating parties.

Read more about this topic:  ISO 8601

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