BEIJING - China's courier industry reported steady growth during the week-long National Day holiday that concluded Friday, with express delivery firms handling more than 4.1 billion parcels, according to the State Post Bureau.

In September, the China express delivery development index, tracking overall express business activities and trends, came in at 353.1, up 13.5 percent month on month, the bureau said in a monthly report.

The sub-index for the development scale climbed 6.3 percent from a month earlier. The sub-index for service quality soared 24.6 percent month on month, indicating improving service capacity for multiple industries.

In the first three quarters, China's parcel volume and business revenue logged an estimated year-on-year increase of 4.2 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively.