entering 2006 , earnings in the first quarter are ex- pected to improve compared with the 2005 fourth quar- ter due principally to higher average price realizations , reflecting announced price increases .product demand for the first quarter should be seasonally slow , but is ex- pected to strengthen as the year progresses , supported by continued economic growth in north america , asia and eastern europe .average prices should also improve in 2006 as price increases announced in late 2005 and early 2006 for uncoated freesheet paper and pulp con- tinue to be realized .operating rates are expected to improve as a result of industry-wide capacity reductions in 2005 .although energy and raw material costs remain high , there has been some decline in both natural gas and delivered wood costs , with further moderation ex- pected later in 2006 .we will continue to focus on fur- ther improvements in our global manufacturing operations , implementation of supply chain enhance- ments and reductions in overhead costs during 2006 .industrial packaging demand for industrial packaging products is closely correlated with non-durable industrial goods production in the united states , as well as with demand for proc- essed foods , poultry , meat and agricultural products .in addition to prices and volumes , major factors affecting the profitability of industrial packaging are raw material and energy costs , manufacturing efficiency and product industrial packaging 2019s net sales for 2005 increased 2% ( 2 % ) compared with 2004 , and were 18% ( 18 % ) higher than in 2003 , reflecting the inclusion of international paper distribution limited ( formerly international paper pacific millennium limited ) beginning in august 2005 .operating profits in 2005 were 39% ( 39 % ) lower than in 2004 and 13% ( 13 % ) lower than in 2003 .sales volume increases ( $ 24 million ) , improved price realizations ( $ 66 million ) , and strong mill operating performance ( $ 27 million ) were not enough to offset the effects of increased raw material costs ( $ 103 million ) , higher market related downtime costs ( $ 50 million ) , higher converting operating costs ( $ 22 million ) , and unfavorable mix and other costs ( $ 67 million ) .additionally , the may 2005 sale of our industrial papers business resulted in a $ 25 million lower earnings contribution from this business in 2005 .the segment took 370000 tons of downtime in 2005 , including 230000 tons of lack-of-order downtime to balance internal supply with customer demand , com- pared to a total of 170000 tons in 2004 , which included 5000 tons of lack-of-order downtime .industrial packaging in millions 2005 2004 2003 .
[['in millions', '2005', '2004', '2003'], ['sales', '$ 4935', '$ 4830', '$ 4170'], ['operating profit', '$ 230', '$ 380', '$ 264']]
containerboard 2019s net sales totaled $ 895 million in 2005 , $ 951 million in 2004 and $ 815 million in 2003 .soft market conditions and declining customer demand at the end of the first quarter led to lower average sales prices during the second and third quarters .beginning in the fourth quarter , prices recovered as a result of in- creased customer demand and a rationalization of sup- ply .full year sales volumes trailed 2004 levels early in the year , reflecting the weak market conditions in the first half of 2005 .however , volumes rebounded in the second half of the year , and finished the year ahead of 2004 levels .operating profits decreased 38% ( 38 % ) from 2004 , but were flat with 2003 .the favorable impacts of in- creased sales volumes , higher average sales prices and improved mill operating performance were not enough to offset the impact of higher wood , energy and other raw material costs and increased lack-of-order down- time .implementation of the new supply chain operating model in our containerboard mills during 2005 resulted in increased operating efficiency and cost savings .specialty papers in 2005 included the kraft paper business for the full year and the industrial papers busi- ness for five months prior to its sale in may 2005 .net sales totaled $ 468 million in 2005 , $ 723 million in 2004 and $ 690 million in 2003 .operating profits in 2005 were down 23% ( 23 % ) compared with 2004 and 54% ( 54 % ) com- pared with 2003 , reflecting the lower contribution from industrial papers .u.s .converting operations net sales for 2005 were $ 2.6 billion compared with $ 2.3 billion in 2004 and $ 1.9 billion in 2003 .sales volumes were up 10% ( 10 % ) in 2005 compared with 2004 , mainly due to the acquisition of box usa in july 2004 .average sales prices in 2005 began the year above 2004 levels , but softened in the second half of the year .operating profits in 2005 de- creased 46% ( 46 % ) and 4% ( 4 % ) from 2004 and 2003 levels , re- spectively , primarily due to increased linerboard , freight and energy costs .european container sales for 2005 were $ 883 mil- lion compared with $ 865 million in 2004 and $ 801 mil- lion in 2003 .operating profits declined 19% ( 19 % ) and 13% ( 13 % ) compared with 2004 and 2003 , respectively .the in- crease in sales in 2005 reflected a slight increase in de- mand over 2004 , but this was not sufficient to offset the negative earnings effect of increased operating costs , unfavorable foreign exchange rates and a reduction in average sales prices .the moroccan box plant acquis- ition , which was completed in october 2005 , favorably impacted fourth-quarter results .industrial packaging 2019s sales in 2005 included $ 104 million from international paper distribution limited , our asian box and containerboard business , subsequent to the acquisition of an additional 50% ( 50 % ) interest in au- gust 2005. .

Question: what was the average net sales from 2003 to 2005 in millions
Answer: 627