Chicago is typically 7 hours behind Berlin. When it's 4:00 PM in Berlin, it's 9:00 AM in Chicago. Both cities observe daylight saving time, though the transition dates differ slightly.
During the brief periods when the US and Europe change clocks on different weekends (usually in March and November), the difference can temporarily be 6 or 8 hours. For most of the year, it's a consistent 7-hour difference.
Optimal meeting window: 7:00 AM - 10:00 AM Chicago time (2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Berlin). This catches afternoon business hours in Berlin while being morning in Chicago.
Chicago's manufacturing and trading companies frequently coordinate with German partners during this overlap.