diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index aba430db..e5b6a055 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -175,6 +175,7 @@ exportMethods("horizons<-")
 exportMethods("hzID<-")
 exportMethods("hzdesgnname<-")
 exportMethods("hzidname<-")
+exportMethods("hzmetaname<-")
 exportMethods("hztexclname<-")
 exportMethods("initSpatial<-")
 exportMethods("metadata<-")
@@ -207,6 +208,7 @@ exportMethods(hzID)
 exportMethods(hzMetadata)
 exportMethods(hzdesgnname)
 exportMethods(hzidname)
+exportMethods(hzmetaname)
 exportMethods(hztexclname)
 exportMethods(idname)
 exportMethods(isEmpty)
diff --git a/R/SoilProfileCollection-metadata.R b/R/SoilProfileCollection-metadata.R
index 9aa1d201..7d834cb3 100644
--- a/R/SoilProfileCollection-metadata.R
+++ b/R/SoilProfileCollection-metadata.R
@@ -293,3 +293,74 @@ setReplaceMethod("GHL",
                      allowednames = "horizon"
                    )
                  })
+
+setGeneric("hzmetaname", function(object, attr, required = FALSE)
+  standardGeneric("hzmetaname"))
+
+#' @title Get or Set Horizon Metadata Column Name
+#' @name hzmetaname
+#' @aliases hzmetaname hzmetaname,SoilProfileCollection-method hzmetaname<- hzmetaname,SoilProfileCollection-method
+#' @details Store the column name containing a specific type of horizon data in the metadata slot of the SoilProfileCollection.
+#' @description `hzmetaname()`: Get column name containing horizon data of interest 
+#' @param object a SoilProfileCollection
+#' @param attr character. Base name for attribute to be stored in metadata. This is prefixed with `"aqp_hz"` for horizon-level metadata for column attributes. e.g. `attr="clay"` results in metadata value retrieved from `"aqp_hzclay"`.
+#' @param required logical, is this attribute required? If it is, set to `TRUE` to trigger error on invalid result
+#' @docType methods
+#' @rdname hzmetaname
+#' @export
+setMethod("hzmetaname", signature(object = "SoilProfileCollection"),
+          function(object, attr, required = FALSE) {
+            .require.metadata.aqp(object,
+                                  attr = paste0("aqp_hz", attr),
+                                  attrlabel = paste0("Horizon metadata (", attr, ") column"),
+                                  message = "\nSee ??hzmetaname",
+                                  required = required)
+          })
+
+setGeneric('hzmetaname<-', function(object, attr, required = FALSE, value)
+  standardGeneric('hzmetaname<-'))
+
+#' @description `hzmetaname<-`: Set horizon designation column name
+#' @param object A _SoilProfileCollection_
+#' @param attr _character_. Base name for attribute to be stored in metadata. This is prefixed with `"aqp_hz"` for horizon-level metadata for column attributes. e.g. `attr="clay"` results in metadata value retrieved from `"aqp_hzclay"`.
+#' @param value _character_. Name of horizon-level column containing  data corresponding to `attr`.
+#' @param required _logical_. Is this attribute required? If it is, set to `TRUE` to trigger error on invalid `value`.
+#' @docType methods
+#' @seealso [guessHzAttrName()]
+#' @rdname hzmetaname
+#' @export
+#' @examples
+#'
+#' data(sp1)
+#'
+#' # promote to SPC
+#' depths(sp1) <- id ~ top + bottom
+#'
+#' # set important metadata columns
+#' hzdesgnname(sp1) <- "name"
+#' hztexclname(sp1) <- "texture"
+#' 
+#' # set custom horizon property (clay content) column
+#' hzmetaname(sp1, "clay") <- "prop"
+#' 
+#' # inspect metadata list
+#' metadata(sp1)
+#'
+#' # get horizon clay content column
+#' hzmetaname(sp1, "clay")
+#' 
+#' # uses hzdesgname(), hztexclname(), hzmetaname(attr="clay") in function definition
+#' estimatePSCS(sp1)
+setReplaceMethod("hzmetaname",
+                 signature(object = "SoilProfileCollection"),
+                 function(object, attr, required = FALSE, value) {
+                   .set.metadata.aqp(
+                     object = object,
+                     value = value,
+                     required =  required,
+                     attr = paste0("aqp_hz", attr),
+                     attrlabel = paste0("Horizon metadata (", attr, ") column"),
+                     message = "\nSee ??hzmetaname",
+                     allowednames = "horizon"
+                   )
+                 })
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/R/allocate.R b/R/allocate.R
index 037b8305..7a8eabcc 100644
--- a/R/allocate.R
+++ b/R/allocate.R
@@ -697,6 +697,11 @@ allocate <- function(..., to = c("FAO Salt Severity", "FAO Black Soil", "ST Diag
 #' 
 #' depths(h) <- id ~ top + bottom
 #' 
+#' # set required metadata for estimatePSCS()
+#' hzdesgnname(h) <- "hzname"
+#' hztexclname(h) <- "texcl"
+#' hzmetaname(h, "clay") <- "clay"
+#' 
 #' pscs <- data.frame(id = h$id, rbind(estimatePSCS(h)))
 #' names(pscs)[2:3] <- c("top", "bottom")
 #' 
diff --git a/R/depthOf.R b/R/depthOf.R
index 74b689d5..76a6f6e9 100644
--- a/R/depthOf.R
+++ b/R/depthOf.R
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ depthOf <- function(p,
                     pattern, 
                     FUN = NULL,
                     top = TRUE, 
-                    hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p),
+                    hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
                     no.contact.depth = NULL, 
                     no.contact.assigned = NA_real_,
                     na.rm = TRUE,
@@ -89,14 +89,10 @@ depthOf <- function(p,
   
   id <- idname(p)
   hid <- hzidname(p)
-  hznames <- horizonNames(p)
 
   # if the user has not specified a column containing horizon designations
-  if (!hzdesgn %in% hznames) {
-    hzdesgn <- guessHzDesgnName(p, required = TRUE)
-    if (!hzdesgn %in% hznames) {
-      stop("depth estimation relies on a column containing horizon designations")
-    }
+  if (is.null(hzdesgn) || !hzdesgn %in% horizonNames(p)) {
+    stop("Horizon designation column (", hzdesgn, ") does not exist.")
   }
 
   # get horizons matching designation pattern
@@ -167,7 +163,7 @@ depthOf <- function(p,
                         pattern,
                         FUN,
                         top = TRUE,
-                        hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p),
+                        hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
                         no.contact.depth = NULL,
                         no.contact.assigned = NA,
                         na.rm = TRUE,
@@ -216,7 +212,7 @@ depthOf <- function(p,
 maxDepthOf <- function(p,
                        pattern,
                        top = TRUE,
-                       hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p),
+                       hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
                        no.contact.depth = NULL,
                        no.contact.assigned = NA,
                        na.rm = TRUE,
@@ -241,7 +237,7 @@ maxDepthOf <- function(p,
 minDepthOf <- function(p,
                        pattern,
                        top = TRUE,
-                       hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p),
+                       hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
                        no.contact.depth = NULL,
                        no.contact.assigned = NA,
                        na.rm = TRUE,
diff --git a/R/estimatePSCS.R b/R/estimatePSCS.R
index f29f6c69..fa95f0d0 100644
--- a/R/estimatePSCS.R
+++ b/R/estimatePSCS.R
@@ -48,15 +48,23 @@
 #' depths(sp1) <- id ~ top + bottom
 #' site(sp1) <- ~ group
 #'
-#' p <- sp1
-#' attr <- 'prop' # clay contents
-#' foo <- estimatePSCS(p, hzdesgn='name', clay.attr = attr, texcl.attr="texture")
-#' foo
-#'
-#'
-estimatePSCS = function(p, hzdesgn = "hzname", clay.attr = "clay",
-                        texcl.attr = "texcl", tax_order_field = "tax_order",
-                        bottom.pattern='Cr|R|Cd', simplify = TRUE, ...) {
+#' # set required metadata
+#' hzdesgnname(sp1) <- 'name'
+#' hztexclname(sp1) <- 'texture'
+#' hzmetaname(sp1, 'clay') <- 'prop'
+#' 
+#' x <- estimatePSCS(sp1)
+#' x
+estimatePSCS <- function(
+    p,
+    hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
+    clay.attr = hzmetaname(p, "clay", required = TRUE),
+    texcl.attr = hztexclname(p, required = TRUE),
+    tax_order_field = "tax_order",
+    bottom.pattern = 'Cr|R|Cd',
+    simplify = TRUE,
+    ...
+) {
   
   .LAST <- NULL
   hz.depths <- horizonDepths(p)
@@ -64,23 +72,17 @@ estimatePSCS = function(p, hzdesgn = "hzname", clay.attr = "clay",
   attr.len <- unlist(lapply(c(hzdesgn, clay.attr, texcl.attr), length))
   if (any(attr.len > 1))
     stop("horizon designation, clay attribute or texture class attribute must have length 1")
-
-  if (is.null(hzdesgn) | (!hzdesgn %in% horizonNames(p))) {
-    hzdesgn <- guessHzDesgnName(p, required = TRUE)
-    if (hzdesgn == "")
-      stop("horizon designation column not correctly specified")
+  
+  if (is.null(hzdesgn) || !hzdesgn %in% horizonNames(p)) {
+    stop("Horizon designation column (", hzdesgn, ") does not exist.")
   }
-
-  if (is.null(clay.attr) | (!clay.attr %in% horizonNames(p))) {
-    clay.attr <- guessHzAttrName(p, attr = "clay", optional = c("total","_r"))
-    if (clay.attr == "")
-      stop("horizon clay content column not correctly specified")
+  
+  if (is.null(texcl.attr) || !texcl.attr %in% horizonNames(p)) {
+    stop("Horizon texture class column (", texcl.attr, ") does not exist.")
   }
-
-  if (is.null(texcl.attr) | (!texcl.attr %in% horizonNames(p))) {
-    texcl.attr <- guessHzTexClName(p)
-    if (texcl.attr == "")
-      stop("horizon texture class column not correctly specified")
+  
+  if (is.null(clay.attr) | (!clay.attr %in% horizonNames(p))) {
+    stop("Horizon clay content column (", clay.attr, ") does not exist.")
   }
 
   soildepth <- minDepthOf(p, hzdesgn = hzdesgn, pattern = bottom.pattern, simplify = FALSE)[[hz.depths[1]]]
diff --git a/R/getArgillicBounds.R b/R/getArgillicBounds.R
index f7e88384..51baf895 100644
--- a/R/getArgillicBounds.R
+++ b/R/getArgillicBounds.R
@@ -42,15 +42,18 @@
 #' depths(sp1) <- id ~ top + bottom
 #' site(sp1) <- ~ group
 #'
-#' p <- sp1
-#' attr <- 'prop' # clay contents
-#' foo <- getArgillicBounds(p, hzdesgn='name', clay.attr = attr, texcl.attr="texture")
-#' foo
+#' # set required metadata
+#' hzdesgnname(sp1) <- 'name'
+#' hztexclname(sp1) <- 'texture'
+#' hzmetaname(sp1, 'clay') <- 'prop'
+#' 
+#' x <- getArgillicBounds(sp1)
+#' x
 #'
 getArgillicBounds <- function(p,
-                              hzdesgn = 'hzname',
-                              clay.attr = 'clay',
-                              texcl.attr = 'texcl',
+                              hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
+                              clay.attr = hzmetaname(p, 'clay', required = TRUE),
+                              texcl.attr = hztexclname(p, required = TRUE),
                               require_t = TRUE,
                               bottom.pattern = "Cr|R|Cd",
                               lower.grad.pattern = "^[2-9]*B*CB*[^rtd]*[1-9]*$",
@@ -61,26 +64,18 @@ getArgillicBounds <- function(p,
   hz <- horizons(p)
   hzd <- horizonDepths(p)
 
-  # ease removal of attribute name arguments -- deprecate them later
-  # for now, just fix em if the defaults dont match the hzdesgn/texcl.attr
-  if (!hzdesgn %in% horizonNames(p)) {
-    hzdesgn <- guessHzDesgnName(p)
-    if (is.na(hzdesgn))
-      stop("horizon designation column not correctly specified")
+  if (is.null(hzdesgn) || !hzdesgn %in% horizonNames(p)) {
+    stop("Horizon designation column (", hzdesgn, ") does not exist.")
   }
-
-  if (!clay.attr %in% horizonNames(p)) {
-    clay.attr <- guessHzAttrName(p, attr = "clay", optional = c("total","_r"))
-    if (is.na(clay.attr))
-      stop("horizon clay content column not correctly specified")
+  
+  if (is.null(clay.attr) | (!clay.attr %in% horizonNames(p))) {
+    stop("Horizon clay content column (", texcl.attr, ") does not exist.")
   }
-
-  if (!texcl.attr %in% horizonNames(p)) {
-    texcl.attr <- guessHzTexClName(p)
-    if (is.na(texcl.attr))
-      stop("horizon texture class column not correctly specified")
+  
+  if (is.null(texcl.attr) || !texcl.attr %in% horizonNames(p)) {
+    stop("Horizon texture class column (", texcl.attr, ") does not exist.")
   }
-
+  
   # get upper bound...
   mss <- getMineralSoilSurfaceDepth(p, hzdesgn = hzdesgn, simplify = FALSE)
   pld <- getPlowLayerDepth(p, hzdesgn = hzdesgn, simplify = FALSE)
diff --git a/R/getCambicBounds.R b/R/getCambicBounds.R
index 9dbe6aed..58702caf 100644
--- a/R/getCambicBounds.R
+++ b/R/getCambicBounds.R
@@ -38,16 +38,19 @@
 #'
 #' # promote to SoilProfileCollection
 #' depths(spc) <- id ~ hzdept + hzdepb
+#' 
+#' # set required metadata
 #' hzdesgnname(spc) <- 'hzname'
 #' hztexclname(spc) <- 'texcl'
-#'
+#' hzmetaname(spc, 'clay') <- 'clay'
+#' 
 #' # print results in table
 #' getCambicBounds(spc)
 #'
 getCambicBounds <- function(p,
-                            hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p, required = TRUE),
-                            texcl.attr = guessHzTexClName(p, required = TRUE),
-                            clay.attr = guessHzAttrName(p, attr = 'clay', c("total", "_r")),
+                            hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
+                            texcl.attr = hztexclname(p, required = TRUE),
+                            clay.attr = hzmetaname(p, "clay", required = TRUE),
                             argi_bounds = NULL,
                             d_value = "d_value",
                             m_value = "m_value",
@@ -55,9 +58,13 @@ getCambicBounds <- function(p,
                             sandy.texture.pattern = "-S$|^S$|COS$|L[^V]FS$|[^L]VFS$|LS$|LFS$",
                             ...) {
 
-  # sacrafice to CRAN gods in the name of NSE
+  # sacrifice to CRAN gods in the name of NSE
   id <- NULL
   
+  if (is.null(hzdesgn) || !hzdesgn %in% horizonNames(p)) {
+    stop("Horizon designation column (", hzdesgn, ") does not exist.")
+  }
+  
   # construct data.frame result for no-cambic-found (NA)
   empty_frame <- data.frame(id = character(0),
                             cambic_id = numeric(0),
diff --git a/R/getSurfaceHorizonDepth.R b/R/getSurfaceHorizonDepth.R
index 94ac8296..8768f5e1 100644
--- a/R/getSurfaceHorizonDepth.R
+++ b/R/getSurfaceHorizonDepth.R
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 #'
 #' @param p a SoilProfileCollection
 #' @param pattern a regular expression pattern to match for all horizons to be considered part of the "surface".
-#' @param hzdesgn column name containing horizon designation. Default: \code{guessHzDesgnName(p, required = TRUE)}.
+#' @param hzdesgn column name containing horizon designation. Default: `hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE)`.
 #' @param simplify logical. Return single profile results as vector (default: `TRUE`) or `data.frame` (`FALSE`)
 #' @return a numeric value corresponding to the bottom depth of the last horizon matching 'pattern' that is contiguous with other matching horizons up to the soil surface. If `length(p) > 1` then a _data.frame_ containing profile ID, horizon ID, top or bottom depths, horizon designation and pattern.
 #'
@@ -57,12 +57,12 @@
 #'
 getSurfaceHorizonDepth <- function(p,
                                    pattern,
-                                   hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p),
+                                   hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
                                    simplify = TRUE) {
   
-  if (!hzdesgn[1] %in% horizonNames(p)) {
-    # error if no valid designation found or specified
-    hzdesgn <- guessHzDesgnName(p, required = TRUE)
+  
+  if (is.null(hzdesgn) || !hzdesgn %in% horizonNames(p)) {
+    stop("Horizon designation column (", hzdesgn, ") does not exist.")
   }
   
   hz <- data.table::as.data.table(horizons(p))
@@ -160,15 +160,20 @@ getSurfaceHorizonDepth <- function(p,
 
 #' @rdname getSurfaceHorizonDepth
 #' @export
-getMineralSoilSurfaceDepth <-  function(p, hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p), pattern = "O", simplify = TRUE) {
-  #assumes OSM is given O designation;
-  #TODO: add support for lab-sampled organic measurements
-  #      keep organic horizons with andic soil properties
+getMineralSoilSurfaceDepth <-  function(p, hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE), pattern = "O", simplify = TRUE) {
+  
+  if (is.null(hzdesgn) || !hzdesgn %in% horizonNames(p)) {
+    stop("Horizon designation column (", hzdesgn, ") does not exist.")
+  }
+
+  # assumes OSM is given O horizon designation;
+  # TODO: add support for lab-sampled organic measurements
+  #       keep organic horizons with andic soil properties
   return(getSurfaceHorizonDepth(p, hzdesgn = hzdesgn, pattern = pattern, simplify = simplify))
 }
 
 #' @rdname getSurfaceHorizonDepth
 #' @export
-getPlowLayerDepth <- function(p, hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p), pattern = "^Ap[^b]*", simplify = TRUE) {
+getPlowLayerDepth <- function(p, hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE), pattern = "^Ap[^b]*", simplify = TRUE) {
   return(getSurfaceHorizonDepth(p, hzdesgn = hzdesgn, pattern = pattern, simplify = simplify))
 }
diff --git a/R/guessColumnNames.R b/R/guessColumnNames.R
index af635c9c..1c2f294e 100644
--- a/R/guessColumnNames.R
+++ b/R/guessColumnNames.R
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@
 #'
 #' e.g. \code{guessHzAttrName(x, attr="clay", optional=c("total", "_r"))} matches (\code{claytotal_r == totalclay_r}) over (\code{clay_r == claytotal == totalclay}) over \code{clay}.
 #'
-#' @param x A SoilProfileCollection
-#' @param attr A regular expression containing required formative element of attribute name.
-#' @param optional A character vector of regular expression(s) containing optional formative elements of attribute name.
-#' @param verbose A boolean value for whether to produce message output about guesses.
+#' @param x A _SoilProfileCollection_
+#' @param attr _character_. A regular expression containing required formative element of attribute name.
+#' @param optional _character_. Vector of regular expression(s) containing optional formative elements of attribute name.
+#' @param verbose _logical_. Produce message output about guesses? Default: `TRUE`
 #'
 #' @return Character containing horizon attribute column name. Result is the first match in \code{horizonNames(x)} with the most required plus optional patterns matched.
 #'
@@ -46,15 +46,15 @@
 guessHzAttrName <- function(x, attr, optional = NULL, verbose = TRUE, required = FALSE) {
   nm <- horizonNames(x)
   
-  if(!inherits(x, 'SoilProfileCollection')) {
+  if (!inherits(x, 'SoilProfileCollection')) {
     stop("x must be a SoilProfileCollection")
   }
   
   # possible names include column names with name in the name
-  req <- grepl(attr, nm, ignore.case=TRUE)
+  req <- grepl(attr, nm, ignore.case = TRUE)
   
-  opt <- lapply(as.list(optional), function(i) grepl(i, nm, ignore.case=TRUE))
-  if(is.null(optional) | length(optional) == 0)
+  opt <- lapply(as.list(optional), function(i) grepl(i, nm, ignore.case = TRUE))
+  if (is.null(optional) | length(optional) == 0)
     opt <- as.list(req)
   opt <- rowSums(do.call('cbind', opt))
   
@@ -70,15 +70,15 @@ guessHzAttrName <- function(x, attr, optional = NULL, verbose = TRUE, required =
   # return first index matching in decreasing precedence
   #  all optional met, some optional met, basic requirement met, no requirement met
   res <- NA
-  if(length(idx1)) {
+  if (length(idx1)) {
     res <- nm[idx1[1]]
-  } else if(length(idx2)) {
+  } else if (length(idx2)) {
     res <- nm[idx2[1]]
-  } else if(length(idx3)) {
+  } else if (length(idx3)) {
     res <- nm[idx3[1]]
   }
-  if(!is.na(res)) {
-    if(verbose)
+  if (!is.na(res)) {
+    if (verbose)
       message(sprintf('guessing horizon attribute \'%s\' is stored in `%s`', attr, res))
   } else {
     msg <- sprintf('unable to guess column containing horizon attribute \'%s\'', attr)
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ guessHzAttrName <- function(x, attr, optional = NULL, verbose = TRUE, required =
   return(res)
 }
 
-#' @description `guessHzDesgnName()`: This follows the historic convention used by \code{aqp::plotSPC()} looking for "hzname" or other column names containing the regular expression "name". If the pattern "name" is not found, the pattern "desgn" is searched as a fallback, as "hzdesgn" or "hz_desgn" are other common column naming schemes for horizon designation name.
+#' @description `guessHzDesgnName()`: **DEPRECATED** This follows the historic convention used by \code{aqp::plotSPC()} looking for "hzname" or other column names containing the regular expression "name". If the pattern "name" is not found, the pattern "desgn" is searched as a fallback, as "hzdesgn" or "hz_desgn" are other common column naming schemes for horizon designation name.
 #'
 #' @param x A SoilProfileCollection
 #' @param required logical Default: `FALSE`. Is this attribute required? If it is, set to `TRUE` to trigger error on invalid value.
@@ -98,23 +98,14 @@ guessHzAttrName <- function(x, attr, optional = NULL, verbose = TRUE, required =
 #' @rdname guessHzAttrName
 #'
 #' @export
-#'
-#' @examples
-#'
-#' a <- data.frame(id = 1, top = c(0,10), bottom=c(10,40), horizonname=c("A","Bw"))
-#' depths(a) <- id ~ top + bottom
-#'
-#' # store guess in metadata
-#' hzdesgnname(a) <- guessHzDesgnName(a)
-#'
-#' # inspect result
-#' hzdesgnname(a)
-#'
 guessHzDesgnName <- function(x, required = FALSE) {
+  
+  .Deprecated(msg = "`guessHzDesgnName()` is deprecated. Use `hzdesgnname()` (with `required=TRUE` argument if needed), or use `guessHzAttrName()` with appropriate values for your use case")
+  
   nm <- horizonNames(x)
   name <- NA
 
-  if(!inherits(x, 'SoilProfileCollection')) {
+  if (!inherits(x, 'SoilProfileCollection')) {
     stop("x must be a SoilProfileCollection")
   }
 
@@ -125,10 +116,10 @@ guessHzDesgnName <- function(x, required = FALSE) {
   }
 
   # possible names include column names with name in the name
-  possible.name <- nm[grep('name', nm, ignore.case=TRUE)]
+  possible.name <- nm[grep('name', nm, ignore.case = TRUE)]
 
   # use the first valid guess
-  if(length(possible.name) > 0) {
+  if (length(possible.name) > 0) {
     possible.name <- possible.name[1]
     name <- possible.name
   } else {
@@ -148,24 +139,15 @@ guessHzDesgnName <- function(x, required = FALSE) {
   return(name)
 }
 
-#' @description `guessHzTexClName()`: This function is used to provide a texture class attribute column name to functions. It will use regular expressions to match "texcl" which is typically the texture of the fine earth fraction, without modifiers or in-lieu textures. Alternately, it will match "texture" for cases where "texcl" is absent (e.g. in NASIS Component Horizon).
+#' @description `guessHzTexClName()`: **DEPRECATED** This function is used to provide a texture class attribute column name to functions. It will use regular expressions to match "texcl" which is typically the texture of the fine earth fraction, without modifiers or in-lieu textures. Alternately, it will match "texture" for cases where "texcl" is absent (e.g. in NASIS Component Horizon).
 #'
 #' @rdname guessHzAttrName
 #' 
 #' @export guessHzTexClName
-#' 
-#' @examples
-#'
-#' a <- data.frame(id = 1, top = c(0,10), bottom=c(10,40), texture=c("A","Bw"))
-#' depths(a) <- id ~ top + bottom
-#'
-#' # store guess in metadata
-#' hztexclname(a) <- guessHzTexClName(a)
-#'
-#' # inspect result
-#' hztexclname(a)
-#'
 guessHzTexClName <- function(x, required = FALSE) {
+  
+  .Deprecated(msg = "`guessHzTexClName()` is deprecated. Use `hztexclname()` (with `required=TRUE` argument if needed), or use `guessHzAttrName()` with appropriate values for your use case")
+  
   nm <- horizonNames(x)
 
   if (!inherits(x, 'SoilProfileCollection')) {
diff --git a/R/mollicEpipedon.R b/R/mollicEpipedon.R
index fb67817f..11c21be8 100644
--- a/R/mollicEpipedon.R
+++ b/R/mollicEpipedon.R
@@ -37,9 +37,9 @@
 #'                                         clay.attr='prop', truncate=FALSE))
 #'
 mollic.thickness.requirement <- function(p, 
-                                         hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p),
-                                         texcl.attr = guessHzTexClName(p),
-                                         clay.attr = guessHzAttrName(p, 'clay', c('total','_r')),
+                                         hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
+                                         texcl.attr = hztexclname(p, required = TRUE),
+                                         clay.attr = hzmetaname(p, "clay", required = TRUE),
                                          truncate = TRUE) {
 
   hzd <- horizonDepths(p)
diff --git a/R/soilColorIndices.R b/R/soilColorIndices.R
index 11d4b8f9..500c7bed 100644
--- a/R/soilColorIndices.R
+++ b/R/soilColorIndices.R
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ buntley.westin.index <- function(hue, chroma) {
 #' @rdname thompson.bell.darkness
 #' @export thompson.bell.darkness
 thompson.bell.darkness <- function(p,
-                                   name = guessHzDesgnName(p, required = TRUE),
+                                   name = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
                                    pattern = "^A",
                                    value = "m_value",
                                    chroma = "m_chroma") {
@@ -310,8 +310,9 @@ thompson.bell.darkness <- function(p,
   
   hz <- horizons(p)
   depthz <- horizonDepths(p)
-  if (!all(name %in% horizonNames(p))) {
-    name <- guessHzDesgnName(p, required = TRUE)
+  
+  if (is.null(name) || !name %in% horizonNames(p)) {
+    stop("Horizon designation column (", name, ") does not exist.")
   }
 
   a.hz <- hz[grepl(hz[[name]], pattern = pattern),]
diff --git a/man/depthOf.Rd b/man/depthOf.Rd
index 1f72741f..b8c9d25a 100644
--- a/man/depthOf.Rd
+++ b/man/depthOf.Rd
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ depthOf(
   pattern,
   FUN = NULL,
   top = TRUE,
-  hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p),
+  hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
   no.contact.depth = NULL,
   no.contact.assigned = NA_real_,
   na.rm = TRUE,
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ maxDepthOf(
   p,
   pattern,
   top = TRUE,
-  hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p),
+  hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
   no.contact.depth = NULL,
   no.contact.assigned = NA,
   na.rm = TRUE,
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ minDepthOf(
   p,
   pattern,
   top = TRUE,
-  hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p),
+  hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
   no.contact.depth = NULL,
   no.contact.assigned = NA,
   na.rm = TRUE,
diff --git a/man/estimatePSCS.Rd b/man/estimatePSCS.Rd
index 1b805577..0bb2241b 100644
--- a/man/estimatePSCS.Rd
+++ b/man/estimatePSCS.Rd
@@ -7,9 +7,9 @@
 \usage{
 estimatePSCS(
   p,
-  hzdesgn = "hzname",
-  clay.attr = "clay",
-  texcl.attr = "texcl",
+  hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
+  clay.attr = hzmetaname(p, "clay", required = TRUE),
+  texcl.attr = hztexclname(p, required = TRUE),
   tax_order_field = "tax_order",
   bottom.pattern = "Cr|R|Cd",
   simplify = TRUE,
@@ -69,12 +69,13 @@ data(sp1, package = 'aqp')
 depths(sp1) <- id ~ top + bottom
 site(sp1) <- ~ group
 
-p <- sp1
-attr <- 'prop' # clay contents
-foo <- estimatePSCS(p, hzdesgn='name', clay.attr = attr, texcl.attr="texture")
-foo
-
+# set required metadata
+hzdesgnname(sp1) <- 'name'
+hztexclname(sp1) <- 'texture'
+hzmetaname(sp1, 'clay') <- 'prop'
 
+x <- estimatePSCS(sp1)
+x
 }
 \references{
 Soil Survey Staff. 2014. Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 12th ed.
diff --git a/man/getArgillicBounds.Rd b/man/getArgillicBounds.Rd
index b3e74022..44c0fa43 100644
--- a/man/getArgillicBounds.Rd
+++ b/man/getArgillicBounds.Rd
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@
 \usage{
 getArgillicBounds(
   p,
-  hzdesgn = "hzname",
-  clay.attr = "clay",
-  texcl.attr = "texcl",
+  hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
+  clay.attr = hzmetaname(p, "clay", required = TRUE),
+  texcl.attr = hztexclname(p, required = TRUE),
   require_t = TRUE,
   bottom.pattern = "Cr|R|Cd",
   lower.grad.pattern = "^[2-9]*B*CB*[^rtd]*[1-9]*$",
@@ -65,10 +65,13 @@ data(sp1, package = 'aqp')
 depths(sp1) <- id ~ top + bottom
 site(sp1) <- ~ group
 
-p <- sp1
-attr <- 'prop' # clay contents
-foo <- getArgillicBounds(p, hzdesgn='name', clay.attr = attr, texcl.attr="texture")
-foo
+# set required metadata
+hzdesgnname(sp1) <- 'name'
+hztexclname(sp1) <- 'texture'
+hzmetaname(sp1, 'clay') <- 'prop'
+
+x <- getArgillicBounds(sp1)
+x
 
 }
 \author{
diff --git a/man/getCambicBounds.Rd b/man/getCambicBounds.Rd
index b1358d29..70c9ec81 100644
--- a/man/getCambicBounds.Rd
+++ b/man/getCambicBounds.Rd
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@
 \usage{
 getCambicBounds(
   p,
-  hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p, required = TRUE),
-  texcl.attr = guessHzTexClName(p, required = TRUE),
-  clay.attr = guessHzAttrName(p, attr = "clay", c("total", "_r")),
+  hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
+  texcl.attr = hztexclname(p, required = TRUE),
+  clay.attr = hzmetaname(p, "clay", required = TRUE),
   argi_bounds = NULL,
   d_value = "d_value",
   m_value = "m_value",
@@ -60,8 +60,11 @@ spc <- data.frame(id=1, taxsubgrp = "Lithic Haploxerepts",
 
 # promote to SoilProfileCollection
 depths(spc) <- id ~ hzdept + hzdepb
+
+# set required metadata
 hzdesgnname(spc) <- 'hzname'
 hztexclname(spc) <- 'texcl'
+hzmetaname(spc, 'clay') <- 'clay'
 
 # print results in table
 getCambicBounds(spc)
diff --git a/man/getSurfaceHorizonDepth.Rd b/man/getSurfaceHorizonDepth.Rd
index 6424c69b..ba7af8aa 100644
--- a/man/getSurfaceHorizonDepth.Rd
+++ b/man/getSurfaceHorizonDepth.Rd
@@ -9,20 +9,20 @@
 getSurfaceHorizonDepth(
   p,
   pattern,
-  hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p),
+  hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
   simplify = TRUE
 )
 
 getMineralSoilSurfaceDepth(
   p,
-  hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p),
+  hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
   pattern = "O",
   simplify = TRUE
 )
 
 getPlowLayerDepth(
   p,
-  hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p),
+  hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
   pattern = "^Ap[^b]*",
   simplify = TRUE
 )
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ getPlowLayerDepth(
 
 \item{pattern}{a regular expression pattern to match for all horizons to be considered part of the "surface".}
 
-\item{hzdesgn}{column name containing horizon designation. Default: \code{guessHzDesgnName(p, required = TRUE)}.}
+\item{hzdesgn}{column name containing horizon designation. Default: \code{hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE)}.}
 
 \item{simplify}{logical. Return single profile results as vector (default: \code{TRUE}) or \code{data.frame} (\code{FALSE})}
 }
diff --git a/man/guessHzAttrName.Rd b/man/guessHzAttrName.Rd
index 7d3247fa..0733b6e6 100644
--- a/man/guessHzAttrName.Rd
+++ b/man/guessHzAttrName.Rd
@@ -15,11 +15,11 @@ guessHzTexClName(x, required = FALSE)
 \arguments{
 \item{x}{A SoilProfileCollection}
 
-\item{attr}{A regular expression containing required formative element of attribute name.}
+\item{attr}{\emph{character}. A regular expression containing required formative element of attribute name.}
 
-\item{optional}{A character vector of regular expression(s) containing optional formative elements of attribute name.}
+\item{optional}{\emph{character}. Vector of regular expression(s) containing optional formative elements of attribute name.}
 
-\item{verbose}{A boolean value for whether to produce message output about guesses.}
+\item{verbose}{\emph{logical}. Produce message output about guesses? Default: \code{TRUE}}
 
 \item{required}{logical Default: \code{FALSE}. Is this attribute required? If it is, set to \code{TRUE} to trigger error on invalid value.}
 }
@@ -31,9 +31,9 @@ Character containing horizon attribute column name. Result is the first match in
 
 e.g. \code{guessHzAttrName(x, attr="clay", optional=c("total", "_r"))} matches (\code{claytotal_r == totalclay_r}) over (\code{clay_r == claytotal == totalclay}) over \code{clay}.
 
-\code{guessHzDesgnName()}: This follows the historic convention used by \code{aqp::plotSPC()} looking for "hzname" or other column names containing the regular expression "name". If the pattern "name" is not found, the pattern "desgn" is searched as a fallback, as "hzdesgn" or "hz_desgn" are other common column naming schemes for horizon designation name.
+\code{guessHzDesgnName()}: \strong{DEPRECATED} This follows the historic convention used by \code{aqp::plotSPC()} looking for "hzname" or other column names containing the regular expression "name". If the pattern "name" is not found, the pattern "desgn" is searched as a fallback, as "hzdesgn" or "hz_desgn" are other common column naming schemes for horizon designation name.
 
-\code{guessHzTexClName()}: This function is used to provide a texture class attribute column name to functions. It will use regular expressions to match "texcl" which is typically the texture of the fine earth fraction, without modifiers or in-lieu textures. Alternately, it will match "texture" for cases where "texcl" is absent (e.g. in NASIS Component Horizon).
+\code{guessHzTexClName()}: \strong{DEPRECATED} This function is used to provide a texture class attribute column name to functions. It will use regular expressions to match "texcl" which is typically the texture of the fine earth fraction, without modifiers or in-lieu textures. Alternately, it will match "texture" for cases where "texcl" is absent (e.g. in NASIS Component Horizon).
 }
 \examples{
 
@@ -61,26 +61,6 @@ depths(c) <- id ~ top + bottom
 
 guessHzAttrName(c, attr="clay", optional=c("total", "_r"))
 
-
-a <- data.frame(id = 1, top = c(0,10), bottom=c(10,40), horizonname=c("A","Bw"))
-depths(a) <- id ~ top + bottom
-
-# store guess in metadata
-hzdesgnname(a) <- guessHzDesgnName(a)
-
-# inspect result
-hzdesgnname(a)
-
-
-a <- data.frame(id = 1, top = c(0,10), bottom=c(10,40), texture=c("A","Bw"))
-depths(a) <- id ~ top + bottom
-
-# store guess in metadata
-hztexclname(a) <- guessHzTexClName(a)
-
-# inspect result
-hztexclname(a)
-
 }
 \author{
 Andrew G. Brown
diff --git a/man/hz_to_taxpartsize.Rd b/man/hz_to_taxpartsize.Rd
index 2daefdf8..0e40c149 100644
--- a/man/hz_to_taxpartsize.Rd
+++ b/man/hz_to_taxpartsize.Rd
@@ -69,6 +69,11 @@ fragvoltot = h$frags
 
 depths(h) <- id ~ top + bottom
 
+# set required metadata for estimatePSCS()
+hzdesgnname(h) <- "hzname"
+hztexclname(h) <- "texcl"
+hzmetaname(h, "clay") <- "clay"
+
 pscs <- data.frame(id = h$id, rbind(estimatePSCS(h)))
 names(pscs)[2:3] <- c("top", "bottom")
 
diff --git a/man/hzmetaname.Rd b/man/hzmetaname.Rd
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e9350ff6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/man/hzmetaname.Rd
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+% Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
+% Please edit documentation in R/SoilProfileCollection-metadata.R
+\docType{methods}
+\name{hzmetaname}
+\alias{hzmetaname}
+\alias{hzmetaname,SoilProfileCollection-method}
+\alias{hzmetaname<-}
+\alias{hzmetaname<-,SoilProfileCollection-method}
+\title{Get or Set Horizon Metadata Column Name}
+\usage{
+\S4method{hzmetaname}{SoilProfileCollection}(object, attr, required = FALSE)
+
+\S4method{hzmetaname}{SoilProfileCollection}(object, attr, required = FALSE) <- value
+}
+\arguments{
+\item{object}{A \emph{SoilProfileCollection}}
+
+\item{attr}{\emph{character}. Base name for attribute to be stored in metadata. This is prefixed with \code{"aqp_hz"} for horizon-level metadata for column attributes. e.g. \code{attr="clay"} results in metadata value retrieved from \code{"aqp_hzclay"}.}
+
+\item{required}{\emph{logical}. Is this attribute required? If it is, set to \code{TRUE} to trigger error on invalid \code{value}.}
+
+\item{value}{\emph{character}. Name of horizon-level column containing  data corresponding to \code{attr}.}
+}
+\description{
+\code{hzmetaname()}: Get column name containing horizon data of interest
+
+\verb{hzmetaname<-}: Set horizon designation column name
+}
+\details{
+Store the column name containing a specific type of horizon data in the metadata slot of the SoilProfileCollection.
+}
+\examples{
+
+data(sp1)
+
+# promote to SPC
+depths(sp1) <- id ~ top + bottom
+
+# set important metadata columns
+hzdesgnname(sp1) <- "name"
+hztexclname(sp1) <- "texture"
+
+# set custom horizon property (clay content) column
+hzmetaname(sp1, "clay") <- "prop"
+
+# inspect metadata list
+metadata(sp1)
+
+# get horizon clay content column
+hzmetaname(sp1, "clay")
+
+# uses hzdesgname(), hztexclname(), hzmetaname(attr="clay") in function definition
+estimatePSCS(sp1)
+}
+\seealso{
+\code{\link[=guessHzAttrName]{guessHzAttrName()}}
+}
diff --git a/man/mollic.thickness.requirement.Rd b/man/mollic.thickness.requirement.Rd
index c8edd7df..5b186b55 100644
--- a/man/mollic.thickness.requirement.Rd
+++ b/man/mollic.thickness.requirement.Rd
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@
 \usage{
 mollic.thickness.requirement(
   p,
-  hzdesgn = guessHzDesgnName(p),
-  texcl.attr = guessHzTexClName(p),
-  clay.attr = guessHzAttrName(p, "clay", c("total", "_r")),
+  hzdesgn = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
+  texcl.attr = hztexclname(p, required = TRUE),
+  clay.attr = hzmetaname(p, "clay", required = TRUE),
   truncate = TRUE
 )
 }
diff --git a/man/thompson.bell.darkness.Rd b/man/thompson.bell.darkness.Rd
index a6a95595..a772a326 100644
--- a/man/thompson.bell.darkness.Rd
+++ b/man/thompson.bell.darkness.Rd
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 \usage{
 thompson.bell.darkness(
   p,
-  name = guessHzDesgnName(p, required = TRUE),
+  name = hzdesgnname(p, required = TRUE),
   pattern = "^A",
   value = "m_value",
   chroma = "m_chroma"
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-argillic.R b/tests/testthat/test-argillic.R
index 62be4b2a..e1ea1d97 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-argillic.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-argillic.R
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ depths(sp1) <- id ~ top + bottom
 site(sp1) <- ~ group
 
 p <- sp1[1]
+hzdesgnname(p) <- "name"
+hztexclname(p) <- "texture"
 clay.attr <- 'prop' # clay contents %
 texcl.attr <- 'texture' # class containing textural class (for finding sandy textures)
 
@@ -41,31 +43,14 @@ test_that("argillic.clay.increase() (used for getArgillicBounds())", {
 
 test_that("getArgillicBounds()", {
 
-  # name and texture class are guessable
-  d <- getArgillicBounds(p, clay.attr='prop')
-
+  # name and texture class are determined from metadata
+  d <- getArgillicBounds(p, clay.attr = 'prop')
+  
   # this makes sure estimateSoilDepth() isn't broken...
   expect_equivalent(d, c(49, 89))
-
-  # no error when hzdesgn and texcl.attr are unknown, due to guessing function
-  d1 <- getArgillicBounds(p, hzdesgn='foo', clay.attr='prop', texcl.attr = 'bar')
-  expect_equivalent(d1, c(49, 89))
-
-  # deliberately break the reasoning guessing
-  # returns correct result because of slots
-  p$goo <- p$name
-  p$boo <- p$texture
-  p$name <- NULL
-  p$texture <- NULL
-
-  expect_error(getArgillicBounds(p, hzdesgn='foo', clay.attr='prop', texcl.attr = 'bar'))
-
-  # set the desgn name and texture class slots
-  hzdesgnname(p) <- "goo"
-  hztexclname(p) <- "boo"
-
-  d2 <- getArgillicBounds(p, hzdesgn='foo', clay.attr='prop', texcl.attr = 'bar')
-  expect_equivalent(d2, c(49, 89))
+  
+  # error when hzdesgn and texcl.attr are unknown; no guessing
+  expect_error(getArgillicBounds(p, hzdesgn = 'foo', clay.attr = 'prop', texcl.attr =  'bar'))
 })
 
 test_that("getArgillicBounds - error conditions", {
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-cambic.R b/tests/testthat/test-cambic.R
index 271b6239..6e5b2c66 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-cambic.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-cambic.R
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ spc <- data.frame(id = 1, taxsubgrp = "Lithic Haploxerepts",
 depths(spc) <- id ~ hzdept + hzdepb
 hzdesgnname(spc) <- 'hzname'
 hztexclname(spc) <- 'texcl'
+hzmetaname(spc, "clay") <- 'clay'
 
 test_that("getCambicBounds - basic functionality", {
   dfbound <- getCambicBounds(spc)
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-estimatePSCS.R b/tests/testthat/test-estimatePSCS.R
index 498d889d..85cc0302 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-estimatePSCS.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-estimatePSCS.R
@@ -77,8 +77,8 @@ test_that("estimatePSCS()", {
 })
 
 test_that("estimatePSCS() thin soil profile with O horizon", {
-  expect_equal(estimatePSCS(x, clay.attr = 'prop', texcl.attr = "foo", hzdesgn = 'name'), c(13, 40))
-  expect_equal(estimatePSCS(c(q,x), clay.attr = 'prop', texcl.attr = "foo", hzdesgn = 'name'),
+  expect_equal(estimatePSCS(x, clay.attr = 'prop', texcl.attr = "texture", hzdesgn = 'name'), c(13, 40))
+  expect_equal(estimatePSCS(c(q,x), clay.attr = 'prop', texcl.attr = "texture", hzdesgn = 'name'),
                data.frame(id = c("706300", "P002"), 
                           pscs_top = c(13, 30),
                           pscs_bottom = c(40, 59)))
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-guessColumnNames.R b/tests/testthat/test-guessColumnNames.R
index c9cbf5dd..29328c95 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-guessColumnNames.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-guessColumnNames.R
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ depths(sp3) <- id ~ top + bottom
 test_that("basic functionality", {
 
   # historic horizon designation name (e.g. used by plotSPC)
-  expect_equal(guessHzDesgnName(sp3), "name")
+  expect_warning(expect_equal(guessHzDesgnName(sp3), "name"))
 
   # basic attribute name guessing
   expect_message(expect_equal(guessHzAttrName(sp3, "clay", ""), "clay"),
@@ -25,32 +25,31 @@ test_that("basic functionality", {
                  "guessing horizon attribute 'clay' is stored in `claytotal_r`")
 
   # basic attribute name guessing
-  expect_equal(guessHzTexClName(sp3), "")
+  expect_warning(expect_equal(guessHzTexClName(sp3), ""))
 
   # texcl
   horizons(sp3)$texcl <- "l"
-  expect_equal(guessHzTexClName(sp3), "texcl")
+  expect_warning(expect_equal(guessHzTexClName(sp3), "texcl"))
 
   # texture
   sp3$texture <-  sp3$texcl
   sp3$texcl <- NULL
-  expect_equal(guessHzTexClName(sp3), "texture")
+  expect_warning(expect_equal(guessHzTexClName(sp3), "texture"))
 
   # descriptive name
   sp3$hzdesgn <- sp3$name
   sp3$name <- NULL
   sp3$desgn <- 1:nrow(sp3)
-  expect_equal(guessHzDesgnName(sp3), "hzdesgn")
+  expect_warning(expect_equal(guessHzDesgnName(sp3), "hzdesgn"))
 
   # unable to guess name
   sp3$foo <- sp3$hzdesgn
   sp3$hzdesgn <- NULL
   sp3$desgn <- NULL
-  expect_message(expect_equal(guessHzDesgnName(sp3), NA),
-                 "unable to guess column containing horizon designations")
+  expect_warning(expect_equal(guessHzDesgnName(sp3), NA))
 
   # custom name
   hzdesgnname(sp3) <- "foo"
-  expect_equal(guessHzDesgnName(sp3), "foo")
+  expect_warning(expect_equal(guessHzDesgnName(sp3), "foo"))
 })
 
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-mollic.R b/tests/testthat/test-mollic.R
index 4dbefd72..d8870998 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-mollic.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-mollic.R
@@ -28,10 +28,12 @@ spc2 <- data.frame(
 depths(spc) <- id ~ hzdept + hzdepb
 hzdesgnname(spc) <- 'hzname'
 hztexclname(spc) <- 'texcl'
+hzmetaname(spc, "clay") <- 'prop'
 
 depths(spc2) <- id ~ hzdept + hzdepb
 hzdesgnname(spc2) <- 'hzname'
 hztexclname(spc2) <- 'texcl'
+hzmetaname(spc2, "clay") <- 'claytotest'
 
 spc3 <- data.frame(pedon_key = c("10016", "10016", "10016", "10047",  "10047",
                                    "10047", "10047", "10047", "10047", "10047"), 
@@ -46,6 +48,7 @@ spc3 <- data.frame(pedon_key = c("10016", "10016", "10016", "10047",  "10047",
 depths(spc3) <-pedon_key ~ hzn_top + hzn_bot
 hzdesgnname(spc3) <- "hzn_desgn"
 hztexclname(spc3) <- "texture_lab"
+hzmetaname(spc3, "clay") <- "clay_total"
 
 test_that("mollic.thickness.requirement", {
   expect_equal(mollic.thickness.requirement(spc, clay.attr = 'prop'), 18)
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-soil-depth.R b/tests/testthat/test-soil-depth.R
index 8a582ebc..9459588d 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-soil-depth.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-soil-depth.R
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ d <-
 
 
 depths(d) <- id ~ top + bottom
-
+hzdesgnname(d) <- "name"
 
 ## tests
 
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ test_that("error conditions", {
   # function will only accept a single profile
   expect_error(estimateSoilDepth(d, name='name'))
 
+  hzdesgnname(d) <- ""
   # not specified -> error 
   expect_error(profileApply(d, estimateSoilDepth))
   
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-surface-thickness.R b/tests/testthat/test-surface-thickness.R
index 2f35ca4b..af63788b 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-surface-thickness.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-surface-thickness.R
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ context("surface horizon thickness, mineral soil surface, organic soil horizon")
 data(sp1, package = 'aqp')
 depths(sp1) <- id ~ top + bottom
 site(sp1) <- ~ group
+hzdesgnname(sp1) <- "name"
 
 p <- sp1[1]
 attr <- 'prop' # clay contents %