ZURICH (Reuters) - Holcim reported better than expected operating profit during its third quarter, the construction materials maker said on Friday, despite a downturn in sales.

The company, which is planning to spin off its North American business next year, posted recurring operating profit of 1.67 billion Swiss francs ($1.93 billion) for the three months to the end of September.

The figure was slightly ahead of analyst forecasts for 1.65 billion francs in a company supplied consensus.

($1 = 0.8656 Swiss francs)

(Reporting by John Revill, Editing by Rachel More)