2x2 lumber at Home Depot is now 1.28x1.28. Actual size is supposed to be 1.5

Shouldn't the normal size be 2? Given, well, the name?

Is nobody gonna call out OP for wearing socks with sandals? ...and, ostensibly, while preparing to do carpentry?!?

That's like a cardinal sin squared!

Um, wait. I would think that violates some sort of law (but I guess maybe we haven't codified this?). I mean, building plans expect standards in materials, right? So how can a building meet codes if the materials are not within the expected specs?

2x2PT has been 1.25x1.25 for as long as I can remember (10 years or more). It's only the pressure treated deck stuff for railings. This does not apply to the rest of the 2x lumber, as those are still 1.5 actual. I got Simpson corner 2x2 brackets for crazy cheap way back but ended up not really using them. The 2x2s are warped to hell and a ripped 2x4 was too big in the original 2x dimension.

Why is 2x2 meant to be 1.5x1.5 and not 2x2?

TBH that looks like a furring strip, not dimensional lumber

It's still a bit small, but pressure treated being a little smaller than framing lumber is not necessarily a secret:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Severe-Weather-Common-2-in-x-2-in-x-8-ft-Actual-1-3125-in-x-1-3125-in-x-8-ft-1-Treated-Lumber/4764128

I appreciate you covering your open toes, safety socks so you’re compliant.

How is it in countries using the metric system ?
in France :
https://www.mara-materiaux.com/bois-de-charpente/8094-lambourde-38x63-mm-long4-m-traite-9202001090740.html

LAMBOURDE 38x63 mm long.4 M TRAITE Unité de vente : le mètre linéaire 1.42 € /m
5.68 € /(4 m)

So, this is aprox ($6.?) for one "...2x3x(~13ft)..."
(treated wood)
... verry expensive, yet, upfront size disclosure.

Distributors send their junk to home stores because they know they won't reject it.

Nothing is immune to shrinkflation aka merchant gouging

Looks oversized to me, that's 3.25 cm x 3.25 cm, looks like they could take it down by 40% and still call it a 2x2 😇

Is their entire stock like this every time, or just this one batch?

Fire Walk with Me - 2x4s (Deleted scene)

Good thing you checked, that’s ridiculous. If I’d cut a dado for some mixed stock and found out some of them were 1 & 1/3 instead of 1 & 1/2, I’d be pissed.

Well shit. That explains alot

There is quite a lot of deviation with lumber these days. If you need something the right size go for a higher quality and then measure them until you find the one you are looking for.

Wait.. if you were building a home with this lumber, at least parts of it, wouldn't this technically hurt the integrity, or better yet, be less structurally sound? Or am I a dumb dumb?