item 7 .management 2019s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations executive summary international paper 2019s operating results in 2005 were strongly impacted by significantly higher costs for en- ergy , wood , caustic soda and other raw materials which reduced operating profits compared with 2004 by $ 586 million .lower sales volumes were also a negative factor versus 2004 as we took a significant amount of lack-of-order downtime in our u.s .uncoated paper and containerboard mills , and downtime in our eastern european operations to rebuild paper machines in po- land and russia to add needed uncoated paper and pa- perboard capacity .we were able to partially offset some of these negative impacts through operational improvements in our manufacturing operations , im- proved average pricing for our paper and packaging grades , a more favorable product mix , and higher earn- ings from forestland and real estate sales .looking forward to 2006 , we expect operating prof- its for the first quarter to be flat with the 2005 fourth quarter .sales volumes should be seasonally slow in the quarter , but should show some improvement as the quarter progresses .price realizations should also improve as previously announced price increases are im- plemented .while energy , wood and raw material price movements are mixed , their impact for the quarter is expected to be flat .however , we see favorable signs of positive mo- mentum for the remainder of 2006 .we anticipate that demand in north america for both uncoated paper and industrial packaging products will be stronger , and that we will realize 2005 fourth-quarter and 2006 first-quarter announced price increases .additionally , operating rates should improve in 2006 reflecting announced industry capacity reductions in uncoated papers and container- board .we are also starting to see some reductions in natural gas and southern wood costs that , if the trend continues , should benefit operations as the year pro- gresses .in connection with our overall strategic direction , we are evaluating options for the possible sale or spin-off of certain of our businesses as previously announced in our transformation plan , with decisions on certain businesses anticipated during 2006 .we also will con- tinue to improve our key operations in north america by realigning our uncoated and packaging mill oper- ations to reduce costs , improve our products and im- prove our overall profitability .results of operations industry segment operating profits are used by international paper 2019s management to measure the earn- ings performance of its businesses .management believes that this measure allows a better understanding of trends in costs , operating efficiencies , prices and volumes .in- dustry segment operating profits are defined as earnings before taxes and minority interest , interest expense , corporate items and corporate special items .industry segment operating profits are defined by the securities and exchange commission as a non-gaap financial measure , and are not gaap alternatives to net income or any other operating measure prescribed by accounting principles generally accepted in the united states .international paper operates in six segments : print- ing papers , industrial packaging , consumer packaging , distribution , forest products , and specialty businesses and other .the following table shows the components of net earnings ( loss ) for each of the last three years : in millions 2005 2004 2003 .
[['in millions', '2005', '2004', '2003'], ['industry segment operating profits', '$ 1923', '$ 2040', '$ 1734'], ['corporate items', '-597 ( 597 )', '-469 ( 469 )', '-466 ( 466 )'], ['corporate special items*', '-147 ( 147 )', '-142 ( 142 )', '-281 ( 281 )'], ['interest expense net', '-593 ( 593 )', '-710 ( 710 )', '-705 ( 705 )'], ['minority interest', '-12 ( 12 )', '-21 ( 21 )', '-80 ( 80 )'], ['income tax benefit ( provision )', '285', '-242 ( 242 )', '56'], ['discontinued operations', '241', '-491 ( 491 )', '57'], ['accounting changes', '2013', '2013', '-13 ( 13 )'], ['net earnings ( loss )', '$ 1100', '$ -35 ( 35 )', '$ 302']]
* special items include restructuring and other charges , net losses on sales and impair- ments of businesses held for sale , insurance recoveries and reversals of reserves no lon- ger required .industry segment operating profits were $ 117 mil- lion lower in 2005 due principally to the impact of higher energy and raw material costs ( $ 586 million ) , lower sales volume ( $ 251 million ) , and unfavorable for- eign currency translation rates ( $ 27 million ) which more than offset the benefits from higher average prices ( $ 478 million ) , cost reduction initiatives , improved operating performance and a more favorable product mix ( $ 235 million ) , and higher earnings from land sales ( $ 158 million ) .the impact of divestitures ( $ 32 million ) , principally the fine papers and industrial pa- pers businesses , and other items ( $ 36 million ) also had a negative impact in 2005 .segment operating profit ( in millions ) .

Question: what was the average industry segment operating profits from 2003 to 2005
Answer: 1899