Measured force through rubber hole

**Hi everyone**, I am trying to calculate the force required to push a stainless steel cuboid through a hole in another cuboid of neoprene rubber and can't seem to find a good formula to calculate it with. The data is as follows: It is a stainless steel cuboid of **0.04"** (1mm) by **0.04"** (1mm) by **0.32"** (8.25mm) deep, the hole cut in the rubber is **0.023"** (0.6mm) by **0.023"** (0.6mm) by **0.32"** (8.25mm) deep, it is a rubber cuboid of **0.197"** (5mm) by **0.197"** (5mm) by **0.32"** (8.25mm). The exact material is ultra strength neoprene rubber with 70A durometers, 2,500 psi tensile strength, and a tolerance of -0.020" to +0.020" at 1/8" (0.125"). T.L.D.R. ——-(Basically the steel is larger than the rubber by a margin 0.4, how do I calculate friction?)——- Suppose that the rubber cuboid is fixed surrounded by a steel rectangle. How much force in Newtons would be required to push this rod in accounting for friction and all, and what would be the formula to calculate it? Also, what would be the optimal shape if other than a cuboid to generate the highest amount of friction and therefore require the most force to push it in? Thanks! Hoping this enlightens me and others because I couldn't find a way to calculate this.