In Depth
1700 Military Time, Explained
Seventeen hundred: the end of the working day
1700 is 5:00 PM — the traditional close of the working day, and another of the most frequently converted military times. The familiar phrase "nine to five" translates directly to 0900 to 1700, which is why so many people encounter 1700 the moment they start scheduling shifts, deliveries, or meetings in 24-hour notation.
Retreat, close of business, and cutoff times
On many military installations 1700 marks the end of the duty day and the "retreat" ceremony, when the flag is lowered. In business and logistics, 1700 is a common "close of business" (COB) or "end of business" (EOB) cutoff — the deadline after which orders roll to the next working day. Warehouses, couriers, and dispatch centres frequently set their daily cutoffs here, so getting the conversion right has real operational consequences. Our logistics guide goes deeper on scheduling cutoffs.
Converting 1700
Apply the subtract-12 rule: 17 − 12 = 5, so 1700 is 5:00 PM. Spoken aloud it is "seventeen hundred hours." Because 1700 sits neatly between the 1500 and 1700 hospital shift-change conventions, it is also a common handoff time in healthcare — one more reason unambiguous notation matters here.